Technology and the Air Force: A Retrospective Assessment

Description

The history of the United States Air Force is inextricably bound up in the history of aerospace technology. Major revolutions have influenced the evolution of Air Force capabilities and systems, most notably those of atomic weaponry, the turbojet revolution, supersonic flight, avionics, aerial refueling, spaceflight, precision weaponry, electronic flying controls, composite materials, andstealth. It is worthwhile to take a retrospective look at some of the aerospace challenges and opportunities the Air Force faced and how it took advantage - or failed to take advantage - of them.With this in mind, the Air Force History and Museums Program organized a symposium on October 23 and 24, 1995, in which leading historians, technologists,and military decision makers met at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland,to present case studies on a series of technological challenges, opportunities, and problems. This symposium, co-sponsored by the Air Force Historical Foundation, covered relevant technological histories ranging from the turbojet revolution of the 1930s to the stealth revolution of the 1990s. This volume presents the texts of the papers in the order they were given. Many people within the Air Force History and Museums Program helped put this program together. I especially wish to acknowledge the contributions of Jacob Neufeld of the Air Force History Support Office for his efforts in bringing both the symposium and this publication to fruition. Front Preface Contents Illustrations Riding England's Coattails: The Army Air Forces and the Turbojet Revolution Technological Forecasting and the Air Force The Air Force and the Supersonic Breakthrough The Origins of Air Refueling in the United States Air Force Technology and Doctrine Ace in the Hole: The Air Force Ballistic Missiles Program Stretching the Rubber Band: Smart Weapons for Air-to-Ground Attack The USAF and the Cruise Missile: Opportunity or Threat? Blind Faith: The United States Air Force and the Development of Fly-By-Wire Technology The New Calculus Revisited Nuclear Powered Flight The F-16 Lightweight Fighter: A Case Study in Technology Transition The Air Force Agenda: A Case Study in Technology Transition Origins of the Global Positioning System The Space Revolution AWACS and JSTARS Computational Fluid Dynamics Low Observables: the Air Force and Stealth Information Systems and Applications Summation Index A B-C D-G H-L M N-R S-T U-Z