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Tactical Air Command
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===Post-Vietnam era=== Hard lessons had been learned during the Vietnam War. New methods of projecting global air power had been perfected and several new types of aircraft were developed as a result of some of the lessons and shortcomings that had been learned in the skies over Hanoi. The first of these was the [[F-15 Eagle]], an optimized air superiority fighter to replace the [[F-4 Phantom II]] in counter-air and the [[F-106 Delta Dart]] in air defense roles and would not engage in multi-mission air-to-ground roles. Following operational test and evaluation, the first F-15A was delivered to TAC's [[1st Fighter Wing|1st Tactical Fighter Wing]] at [[Langley AFB]], Virginia in November 1974. Training on the new type, which also included twin seat F-15B versions, began at once. The [[A-10 Thunderbolt II]], optimized as a close air support aircraft with emphasis on being able to defeat Soviet armor in the event of a Soviet/Warsaw Pact invasion of Western Europe, began arriving in March 1977 at [[Myrtle Beach AFB]], [[South Carolina]], equipping the [[354th Fighter Wing|354th Tactical Fighter Wing]]. Finally, the [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]], later nicknamed the "Viper," also entered the Air Force inventory, initially assigned to the [[388th Fighter Wing|388th Tactical Fighter Wing]] at [[Hill AFB]], Utah in January 1979. With the cost of acquiring the F-15 continuing to escalate in the early and mid-1970s, the F-16 was the successful design of the USAF Lightweight Fighter (LWF) competition, increasing overall USAF tactical fighter numbers with a multi-mission fighter that could replace those F-4 Phantom IIs not replaced by the F-15 in the air-to-air role and being able to concurrently assumed the F-4's role in air-to-ground / interdiction roles. ====Divestment of Tactical Airlift==== It was found during the Vietnam War that there was a large duplication of aerial port facilities and mission objectives between [[Military Airlift Command|MAC]], [[USAF Tactical Air Command|TAC]] and [[PACAF]]. A study group recommended the consolidation of all tactical airlift forces under MAC as a cost-saving measure under MAC and on 1 December 1974 all TAC and TAC-gained [[AFRES]] and [[Air National Guard|ANG]] C-130 tactical airlift wings, groups and squadrons were reassigned to MAC. In 1975, PACAF and USAFE tactical airlift wings were also reassigned to MAC, thus ending the theater troop carrier mission as it had existed since the beginning of World War II.<ref>Anything, anywhere, anytime: an illustrated history of the Military Airlift Command, 1941β1991, Headquarters Military Airlift Command (1991)</ref> ==== Inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command and assumption of the Continental Air Defense mission ==== In early 1977, strong congressional pressure to reduce USAF management "overhead", and the personal conviction of the Air Force Chief of Staff that substantial savings could be realized without a reduction in operational capability, resulted in the disestablishment of [[Aerospace Defense Command]] (ADC) as a USAF major command.<ref>[[Aerospace Defense Command]]</ref> ADC was inactivated on 1 October 1979, with its "atmospheric" resources e.g., its Regular Air Force and Air National Guard [[F-101]], [[F-102]] and [[F-106]] fighter-interceptors; ground-based warning radars; and associated bases and personnel) subsequently transferred to TAC under a sub-entity named [[Air Defense, Tactical Air Command]] ([[ADTAC]]). ADC's [[EC-121 Warning Star]] airborne early warning aircraft had already been retired by 1978 and it never received that aircraft's replacement, the [[E-3 Sentry]] [[Airborne early warning and control|AWACS]], that began entering the TAC inventory in 1977. As a result of changes in USAF doctrine and tactics, [[Airborne early warning and control|AWACS]] was always intended as strictly a TAC airframe nominally operating from forward-deployed locations and incorporating many of the lessons learned from employing the EC-121 in its [[EC-121|Big Eye]], [[EC-121|College Eye]], [[EC-121|Rivet Top]] and [[EC-121|Disco]] roles with PACAF's [[7th Air Force]] during the Vietnam War. The new command was, essentially, a transition organization between ADC, and the transfer of the continental air defense mission from a combination of the Regular Air Force and the [[Air National Guard]] to one totally residing in TAC-gained assets of the Air National Guard by 1990.<ref>[[Air Defense, Tactical Air Command]]</ref> ==== Red Flag Aggressor training ==== [[Image:F16C Aggressor.jpg|300px|thumb|right|F-16C aggressor aircraft during Red Flag 06-1]] The [[57th Wing|'''57th Fighter Weapons Wing''']] at [[Nellis AFB]], [[Nevada]] began giving Regular Air Force units some of the most intense combat training ever achieved through the '''[[Red Flag (USAF)|Red Flag]]''' program, beginning in 1976. This would later expand to include the [[Air Force Reserve]], the [[Air National Guard]], aviation squadrons of the [[U.S. Navy]] and [[U.S. Marine Corps]] (augmenting their [[Naval Fighter Weapons School]] / [[TOPGUN]] program), and various [[NATO]] and Allied nations. The origin of Red Flag was the unacceptable performance of U.S. Air Force pilots and weapon systems officers in air combat maneuvering (ACM) (air-to-air combat) during the Vietnam War in comparison to previous wars. Air combat over North Vietnam between 1965 and 1973 led to an overall exchange ratio (ratio of enemy aircraft shot down to the number of own aircraft lost to enemy fighters) of 2.2:1. In fact, for a period of time in June and July 1972 during Operation Linebacker, the ratio was less than 1:1. The aggressor units at Red Flag were originally equipped with readily available [[T-38 Talon]] aircraft loaned from the [[Air Training Command]] ([[Air Training Command|ATC]]) to simulate the [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|Soviet Union's MiG-21]]. [[Northrop F-5]] Tiger II fighters, painted in color schemes commonly found on Soviet and Warsaw Pact aircraft, were added shortly thereafter and became the mainstay until the F-16 was introduced in the mid/late 1980s. The Red Flag exercises, conducted in four to six cycles per year by the [[414th Combat Training Squadron]] evolved into very realistic large scale aerial war games, the purpose being to train pilots and navigators/weapon systems officers/electronic warfare officers and air battle managers from the U.S., NATO and other allied countries for real combat situations. This includes the use of "enemy" hardware and live ammunition for bombing exercises within the [[Nevada Test and Training Range]] (NTTR).<ref name="multi3"/> ==== Operation Eagle Claw and divestment of USAF Special Operations forces ==== {{Main|Operation Eagle Claw}} [[Image:Mc-130e-hulbert-soc.jpg|thumb|[[MC-130]]E "Combat Talon" Special Operations aircraft from [[Hurlburt Field]], Florida.]] [[Image:C-130-64-0564-dragon2-dsrt1-1980.jpg|thumb|Photo of [[MC-130]]E, AF Ser. No. 64-0564, and "Dragon 2" crew just before departing for Desert One.]] In 1978, the unrest in [[Iran]] against the pro-U.S. monarch, [[Shah]] [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]], and his autocratic rule boiled over into a revolution. In January 1979, the Shah fled Iran to exile in [[Egypt]] and Iran was turned into an "Islamic Republic." On 22 October 1979, the Shah was allowed to travel to the United States for further medical treatment, causing widespread anger in Iran. Furious at what was called "evidence of American plotting" by the Iranian revolutionaries, the American Embassy in [[Tehran]] was taken over by a group of armed revolutionaries in violation of accepted diplomatic practices and international law, with the entire staff becoming hostages. While the situation was trying to be resolved through diplomatic means, no real progress was gained for the release of the hostages. In a bold plan, U.S. military forces were instructed to come up with a course of action to go into Iran and free the hostages by force of arms.<ref name="multi99"/> In April 1980, TAC air assets were deployed to areas close to Iran to be ready if and when Washington gave the "GO" signal. [[Operation Eagle Claw]] got underway on 24 April 1980 when USAF special operations [[MC-130 Combat Talon]] transport planes and Navy [[CH-53 Sea Stallion|RH-53D Sea Stallion]] helicopters with Marine Corps flight crews deployed to '''Desert One''', a small staging site inside Iran itself.<ref name="multi99"/> From the start, it appeared that the operation was running into problems. After launching from the aircraft carrier [[USS Nimitz (CVN-68)]], an unforeseen low-level [[Dust storm|sandstorm]], also known as a [[haboob]], caused two of eight helicopters to lose their way en route to Desert One, but only after men and equipment had been assembled there. A third helicopter suffered a mechanical failure and was incapable of continuing with the mission. Without enough helicopters to transport men and equipment to '''Desert Two''', the mission was aborted. After the decision to abort the mission was made, one of the helicopters lost control while taking off and crashed into one of the MC-130s. In the ensuing explosion and fire, eight US servicemen were killed: five USAF aircrew in the MC-130, and three USMC aircrew in the RH-53. During the evacuation, six RH-53 helicopters were left behind intact.<ref name="multi99"/> The failure of the various services to work together with cohesion forced the establishment of new organizational structures within the services and eventually a new multi-service organization. In 1984, TAC transferred all of it special operations units, aircraft and personnel to [[Military Airlift Command]] ([[Military Airlift Command|MAC]]) concurrent with MAC's establishment of [[23rd Air Force]] as a dedicated organization for USAF special operations forces. This organization formed the foundation for what would later become [[Air Force Special Operations Command]] ([[AFSOC]]) in 1987. Also in 1987, the [[United States Special Operations Command]] (USSOCOM) was established at [[MacDill AFB]], Florida as a joint-service force to coordinate the special operations forces for the Army, Navy and Air Force, with AFSOC as its USAF component command.<ref name="multi99"/> ==== USAF Thunderbirds ==== For most of its history, the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron (USAF ADS), better known as the '''[[U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds|Thunderbirds]]''', had flown front-line fighter aircraft, having been part of TAC since they moved to [[Nellis AFB]], Nevada in the mid-1950s. In 1969, the team switched aircraft from the [[F-100 Super Sabre]] to the [[F-4 Phantom II]]. However, due to the [[1973 oil crisis]], the team only flew six air shows and was grounded for some time. In 1974, the Thuunderbirds switched to the more economical [[T-38 Talon]] advanced jet trainer. The rationale for the change to a trainer was purely economical in an era of post-Vietnam fiscal austerity, since five T-38s used the same amount of fuel needed for one F-4 Phantom II. The switch to the T-38 also saw an alteration of the team's flight routine to exhibit the aircraft's maneuverability in tight turns. In January 1982, a devastating accident during a training flight claimed the lives of four USAF ADS pilots at their primary practice facility, [[Creech AFB|Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field]], northwest of Nellis AFB. While practicing the four-plane diamond loop, the formation impacted the ground at high speed, instantly killing all four pilots. The cause of the crash was officially listed as a result of pilot error by Thunderbird #1, the team leader, as he misjudged the proper altitude to execute the loop. The other three aircraft, following proper procedure, were looking at the Lead's aircraft, rather than the ground, and followed the Lead aircraft into the ground. The airshow season for that year was canceled and it was also decided to equip the squadron with the [[F-16 Fighting Falcon|Block 15 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon]] and start over for 1983. In 1992, the squadron was upgraded to the [[F-16 Fighting Falcon|Block 32 F-16C/D]], and in 2009 to the [[F-16 Fighting Falcon|Block 52 F-16C/D]].<ref name="multi3"/> ==== Fourth generation jet fighter aircraft ==== [[Image:F-16a-80-537-shaw.jpg|thumb|300px|General Dynamics F-16A Block 10D Fighting Falcon, AF ser. No. 80-0537 of the 363 TFW at [[Shaw AFB]], SC. This aircraft was later a static display at the Lockheed-Martin factory in Fort Worth, TX. On 19 March 2004 it was noted to be in use as a ground instructional airframe at [[NAS Fort Worth JRB]] (former [[Carswell AFB]]), TX.]] [[Image:Oa10a-79-206-21fs-shaw.jpg|thumb|300px|Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II, AF Ser. No. 79-0206 of the 21st Fighter Squadron, [[Shaw AFB]], SC, 29 September 1993.]] [[Image:F-15e-4thfw-sj.jpg|thumb|300px|McDonnell Douglas F-15E-48-MC Strike Eagle, AF Ser. No. 89-0490 of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, [[Seymour Johnson AFB]], NC.]] [[Image:Ef-111a-27tfw-cannon.jpg|thumb|right|300px|General Dynamics EF-111A, AF Ser. No. 67-0035 of the 429th/430th Electronic Combat Squadron, [[Cannon AFB]], NM.]] [[Image:49th Fighter Wing Web Site Image.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Lockheed F-117A of the 49 FW at [[Holloman AFB]], NM.]] The late 1970s through 1992 were a transition era for most TAC fighter wings, replacing their third generation Vietnam-Era fighter and attack aircraft such as the [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II]], [[General Dynamics F-111]], and [[LTV A-7 Corsair II]] with fourth generation fighter aircraft like the [[F-15 Eagle|McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle]], [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon]] and [[A-10 Thunderbolt II|Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II]]). The F-15A/B and subsequent F-15C/D were designed for the air superiority role, which was not really filled since the [[F-86 Sabre|North American F-86 Sabre]] entered the USAF inventory in the 1950s. Conversely, the F-16 was designed for a multi-mission fighter-bomber role, replacing the F-4D/Es, while the A-10 was designed to fill the close air support mission of the A-7D. Although developed and initially deployed in the late 1970s, budgetary constraints limited their deployment into the active duty forces. The [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan Administration]] embarked on a massive overhaul of the United States armed forces and large numbers of these aircraft were ordered and deployed to front line active duty Air Force wings beginning in 1983. The upgrade was not limited to first line USAF units, as beginning in 1985, [[Air National Guard]] ([[Air National Guard|ANG]]) and [[Air Force Reserve]] ([[AFRES]]) units also began trading in their Vietnam Era aircraft for newer and more sophisticated weapons systems with F-16A/Bs being allocated to Guard and Reserve units as active duty Air Force units upgraded to the F-16C/Ds models. F-15A/B models of the 1970s were also provided to ANG squadrons when newer F-15C/D models reached front-line wings. As A-10s replaced A-7s, [[Cessna A-37 Dragonfly|A-37]]s and [[OV-10]]s in the Regular Air Force, the A-7 and A-37 close air support aircraft, along with newly produced twin-seat A-7Ks, were flown by many ANG squadrons, often training with both Regular Army and [[Army National Guard]] combat units in ground support operations. The last A-7D/Ks were retired in 1993, being replaced in the ANG by A-10s and F-16C/Ds. In 1984, a new version of the 1960s [[General Dynamics F-111]] also began equipping select TAC and USAFE units. This version, known as the [[EF-111A Raven]], was modified to carry electronic jamming units, its sole purpose being to fly into enemy airspace and confuse enemy radar so that the strike package could follow and accomplish the mission, replacing the venerable [[B-66 Destroyer|Douglas RB/EB-66]] of the 1950s and 1960s that served in the Vietnam War. A new version of the F-15, the [[F-15E Strike Eagle]], was also developed to replace the F-111E/F tactical strike aircraft in TAC's and USAFE's arsenal. Developed from the twin-seat F-15B, the Strike Eagle was designed for long-range interdiction of enemy ground targets deep behind enemy lines while concurrently retaining air-to-air combat capability. The first F-15Es were deployed to the [[4th Fighter Wing|4th Tactical Fighter Wing]] at [[Seymour Johnson AFB]], North Carolina on 29 December 1988. Across the Nevada desert skies in the 1980s, there were reports of strange lights in the night skies, with some of these reports explained as possible UFOs. Most of these reports seem to come from the area around [[Tonopah, Nevada|Tonopah]] and another area identified on maps as [[Nellis AFB]]'s [[Area 51]]. The UFO story seemed to hold water, as the USAF radars at Nellis and FAA radars at [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]] could not see any aircraft in the area of question. The strange lights over the Nevada desert were officially recognized in November 1988 when the Department of Defense unveiled the [[F-117 Nighthawk]] stealth aircraft, an outgrowth of USAF's [[Have Blue]] reduced radar cross-section (RCS) research aircraft. Although ostensibly designated as a "fighter," the F-117 was actually a precision light bomber with no air-to-air combat capability. The F-117 was a well-kept secret throughout the 1980s. The first prototype aircraft had first flown in 1981 and one had crashed in June 1984 in the Nevada desert. It took another crash of the aircraft in California in 1988 to finally lift the veil of secrecy. On 9 May 1992, four Lockheed F-117A Nighthawks from the [[Tonopah Test Range Airport]], Nevada, arrived at Holloman AFB, New Mexico and were assigned to the [[49th Fighter Wing|49th Tactical Fighter Wing]].<ref name="multi3"/> ==== Collapse of the Warsaw Pact ==== One of the effects of this massive buildup of American military might during the 1980s was pressure inside of the [[Soviet Union]] to match the United States. However, internal pressures inside the Soviet Union for increased freedoms, along with economic pressures led to the loosening of their control in Eastern Europe. In 1989, one by one of these nations in Eastern Europe began to rebel against their Communist governments, leading to the opening of the [[Berlin Wall]] in November. The mighty [[Warsaw Pact]] as well as the Soviet Union was crumbling from within. It was clear that the threat the western democracies faced in Europe was coming to an end as the Soviet Union imploded from within. As a result of the end of [[Cold War]] tensions, the United States began a period of downsizing the military. The [[Base Realignment and Closure]] (or BRAC) process was developed in an attempt to achieve the government's goal of closing and realigning military installations. Through the BRAC process, numerous active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve bases and stations were marked for closing and units were inactivated. Beginning in 1988, some units became what were called "Super Wings," comprising more than one unit and aircraft type, along with several different missions. With all of the cutbacks it seemed that any type of major armed conflict was a thing of the past.<ref name="multi3"/>
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