United States Air Force

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command training mission

The Union Balloon Corps and the balloon Intrepid

Boeing B-9 and P-26

P-6E planes in formation

USAF B-17 bombers

Normandy Invasion: Allied bombardment of Pointe du Hoc

USAF refueling operations during the Vietnam War

USAF F-22 Raptor

USAF E-3 Sentry

Two F-16 Fighting Falcons of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatic squadron performing a "calypso" maneuver over Ellsworth Air Force Base, Rapid City, S.D., May 30, 2009.

For Students

United States Air Force summary

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Manila folders marked confidential.

6 Oddly Named U.S. Government Operations

B-52G with cruise missiles, USAF, short range attack missiles SRAMs; guided missile

11 of the World’s Most Famous Warplanes

Discover

Statue of Nostradamus

Nostradamus and His Prophecies

Middle East bee locator map

Are the Middle East and the Near East the Same Thing?

Lake Mead (the impounded Colorado River) at the Hoover Dam. The light-coloured band of rock above the shoreline shows the decrease in water level in the first few years of the 21st century.

6 Lakes That Are Drying Up

Time zone map with standard time zones and International Date Line

Why Are Some Time Zones 30 Minutes Off Instead of an Hour?

Close up of praying mantis walking on stone ground against a blurred background in Japan

6 Animals That Eat Their Mates

Paul Revere. "The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th Regt.," engraved by Paul Revere. Boston Massacre.

There’s a Riot Goin’ On: Riots in U.S. History (Part One)

Nelson Mandela, undated photo.

15 Nelson Mandela Quotes

United States Air Force: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jun 14, 2025

News •

Military parade rolls through DC as 'No Kings' protesters across US decry Trump • June 14, 2025, 11:11 PM ET (AP)

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What it would take to convert a jet from Qatar into Air Force One to safely fly Trump • June 7, 2025, 7:20 AM ET (AP)

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Facts

Also Known As	USAF • Air Force, United States
Areas Of Involvement	air warfare
Related People	William Mitchell • Charles Q. Brown, Jr. • Edward O’Hare • Lori Robinson • John Hay Whitney • Claire L. Chennault • Henry Harley Arnold • Chuck Yeager • Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. • James H. Doolittle • Carl Spaatz • Curtis E. LeMay • Nathan F. Twining • Frank M. Andrews • Edward Vernon Rickenbacker

Photos and Videos

U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command training mission

The Union Balloon Corps and the balloon Intrepid

Boeing B-9 and P-26

P-6E planes in formation

USAF B-17 bombers

Normandy Invasion: Allied bombardment of Pointe du Hoc

USAF refueling operations during the Vietnam War

USAF F-22 Raptor

USAF E-3 Sentry

Two F-16 Fighting Falcons of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatic squadron performing a "calypso" maneuver over Ellsworth Air Force Base, Rapid City, S.D., May 30, 2009.

Watch the takeoff of SR-71 Blackbird from Edwards Air Force Base, California

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Topics

Royal Air Force Flying Tigers Condor Legion

List

Manila folders marked confidential.

6 Oddly Named U.S. Government Operations

B-52G with cruise missiles, USAF, short range attack missiles SRAMs; guided missile

11 of the World’s Most Famous Warplanes