United States Air Force facts for kids

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. It was a part of the United States Army until September 18, 1947. The USAF is the largest and most of technologically advanced air force in the world. It has thousands of aircraft in service including bombers, fighter aircraft, transports and other kinds, and hundreds of Intercontinental ballistic missiles. Hundreds of thousands of men and women are on active duty in the Air Force and others are in the Reserves and the United States National Guard.

Uniforms
- Awards and badges
Training
- Air Force Fitness Test
Aircraft inventory
Officer Ranks
- Warrant officers
- Enlisted airmen
Images for kids
See also

Uniforms

The first USAF dress uniform, in 1947, was dubbed and patented "Uxbridge blue" after "Uxbridge 1683 blue", developed at the former Bachman-Uxbridge Worsted Company. The current service dress uniform, which was adopted in 1994, consists of a three-button coat with decorative pockets, matching trousers, and either a service cap or flight cap, all in Shade 1620, "Air Force blue" (a darker purplish-blue). This is worn with a light blue shirt (shade 1550) and shade 1620 herringbone patterned necktie. Silver "U.S." pins are worn on the collar of the coat, with a surrounding silver ring for enlisted airmen. Enlisted airmen wear sleeve rank on both the jacket and shirt, while officers wear metal rank insignia pinned onto the epaulet loops on the coat, and Air Force blue slide-on epaulet loops on the shirt. USAF personnel assigned to base honor guard duties wear, for certain occasions, a modified version of the standard service dress uniform that includes silver trim on the sleeves and trousers, with the addition of a ceremonial belt (if necessary), service cap with silver trim and Hap Arnold Device (instead of the seal of the United States worn on the regular cap), and a silver aiguillette placed on the left shoulder seam and all devices and accoutrements.

The Airman Combat Uniform (ACU) in the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP) replaced the previous Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) on 1 October 2018.

Awards and badges

In addition to basic uniform clothing, various badges are used by the USAF to indicate a billet assignment or qualification-level for a given assignment. Badges can also be used as merit-based or service-based awards. Over time, various badges have been discontinued and are no longer distributed.

Training

U.S. Air Force trainee demonstrating a butt stroke on a strike dummy as part of Basic Military Training.

All enlisted Airmen attend Basic Military Training (BMT) at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for 7+1⁄2 weeks. Individuals who have prior service of over 24 months of active duty in the other service branches who seek to enlist in the Air Force must go through a 10-day Air Force familiarization course rather than enlisted BMT, however prior service opportunities are severely limited.

Officers may be commissioned upon graduation from the United States Air Force Academy, upon graduation from another college or university through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) program, or through the Air Force Officer Training School (OTS). OTS, located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama since 1993, in turn encompasses two separate commissioning programs: Basic Officer Training (BOT), which is for officer candidates for the Regular Air Force and the Air Force Reserve; and the Academy of Military Science (AMS), which is for officer candidates of the Air National Guard.

The Air Force also provides Commissioned Officer Training (COT) for officers of all three components who are direct-commissioned into medicine, law, religion, biological sciences, or healthcare administration. COT is fully integrated into the OTS program and today encompasses extensive coursework as well as field exercises in leadership, confidence, fitness, and deployed-environment operations.

Air Force Fitness Test

USAF Airmen training at Lackland AFB

The US Air Force Fitness Test (AFFT) is designed to test the abdominal circumference, muscular strength/endurance and cardiovascular respiratory fitness of airmen in the USAF. As part of the Fit to Fight program, the USAF adopted a more stringent physical fitness assessment; the new fitness program was put into effect on 1 June 2010. The annual ergo-cycle test which the USAF had used for several years had been replaced in 2004. In the AFFT, Airmen are given a score based on performance consisting of four components: waist circumference, the sit-up, the push-up, and a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) run. Airmen can potentially earn a score of 100, with the run counting as 60%, waist circumference as 20%, and both strength tests counting as 10% each. A passing score is 75 points. Effective 1 July 2010, the AFFT is administered by the base Fitness Assessment Cell (FAC), and is required twice a year. Personnel earning a score over 90% may test once a year. Additionally, only meeting the minimum standards on each one of these tests will not get you a passing score of 75%, and failing any one component will result in a failure for the entire test.

Aircraft inventory

The U.S. Air Force has a total force of 5,217 aircraft as of June 2021. Of these, 4,131 are in active service. Until 1962, the Army and Air Force maintained one system of aircraft naming, while the U.S. Navy maintained a separate system. In 1962, these were unified into a single system heavily reflecting the Army and Air Force method. For more complete information on the workings of this system, refer to United States military aircraft designation systems.

Officer Ranks

US DoD pay grade	Special grade	O-10	O-9	O-8	O-7	O-6	O-5	O-4	O-3	O-2	O-1
NATO code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1
Insignia
Service dress uniform (Class A)
Service uniform (Class B)
Mess dress uniform
Title	General of the Air Force	General	Lieutenant general	Major general	Brigadier general	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel	Major	Captain	First lieutenant	Second lieutenant
Abbreviation	GAF	Gen	Lt Gen	Maj Gen	Brig Gen	Col	Lt Col	Maj	Capt	1st Lt	2d Lt

Warrant officers

The Air Force warrant officer ranks, while authorized by law, are not used.

Enlisted airmen

US DoD pay grade	Special			E-9		E-8	E-7	E-6	E-5	E-4	E-3	E-2	E-1
NATO code	OR-9					OR-8	OR-7	OR-6	OR-5	OR-4	OR-3	OR-2	OR-1
Insignia													No insignia
Title	Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman	Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force	Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau	Command Chief Master Sergeant	Chief master sergeant	Senior master sergeant	Master sergeant	Technical sergeant	Staff sergeant	Senior Airman	Airman First Class	Airman	Airman basic
Abbreviation	SEAC	CMSAF	SEANGB	CCC/CCM	CMSgt	SMSgt	MSgt	TSgt	SSgt	SrA	A1C	Amn	AB

Images for kids

Pararescuemen and a simulated "survivor" watch as an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter comes in for a landing.
The first F-35 Lightning II of the 33rd Fighter Wing arriving at Eglin AFB
An Air Force RQ-4 strategic reconnaissance aircraft
An Air Force KC-46 Pegasus refuels a C-17A Globemaster III
An Air Force A-10 demonstrating close air support at Nellis AFB
Test launch of a LGM-30 Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from Vandenberg AFB
Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base
Roundels that have appeared on U.S. military aircraft 1.) 5/1917–2/1918 2.) 2/1918–8/1919 3.) 8/1919–5/1942 4.) 5/1942–6/1943 5.) 6/1943–9/1943 6.) 9/1943–1/1947 7.) 1/1947–
The SR-71 Blackbird was a Cold War reconnaissance plane.
A row of Douglas C-54 Skymasters during the Berlin Airlift in 1949
Organization of the United States Air Force within the Department of Defense
USAF Airmen training at Lackland AFB
A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft
A C-17 Globemaster III, the USAF's newest and most versatile transport plane
E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system
F-22 Raptor stealth air superiority fighter
KC-10 Extender tri-jet air-to-air tanker
An MC-12W Liberty at Beale AFB
MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle
Lockheed U-2 spy plane
RQ-170 Sentinel stealth unmanned aerial vehicle reconnaissance aircraft
VC-25A (Air Force One)
A WC-130J Hercules from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
An unarmed Minuteman III ICBM shoots out of the silo during an operational test launch