New Frontiers for Air Combat

New Frontiers for Air Combat. . As terrorist organizations and new threats evolved after 9/11, US Air Force operations broadened significantly from the initial campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, eventually including continuous campaigns against high-value targets and support to coalition ground operations in Libya, Syria and other conflict-torn areas. Despite the demands of high operational tempo over decades, the Air Force continued to explore new technologies-many of which were envisioned but out of practical reach by Gen Hap Arnold, Theodore von Karman, Gen Bernard Schriever and others-which have again altered the nature of air warfare and Air Warriors. A hallmark of counter-terror conflict and highly visible advance in military technology were the Air Force's remotely piloted aircraft (RPA)-reconnaissance and strike platforms without a traditional cockpit, commonly referred to as "drones." Employing highly trained RPA pilots and sensor operators, they have changed warfare to allow the U.S. and its allies to identify, analyze, and, if necessary, attack high-valued targets. RPAS redefined the Global War on Terrorism's reach, as persistent surveillance from these long-endurance aircraft allow for more opportunities to “find, fix, and finish" enemy threats. , Far less visible than RPAS, Air Force space and communication capabilities became critical to national security during the Cold War. Their value as an essential part of air combat increased dramatically with the introduction of space-based position, navigation and timing-dependent systems like GPS-guided weapons, and continued with the rapid evolution of the still-new "cyber" domain. This domain vastly expanded Air Force command and control capabilities, and the Air Force's newest air combat aircraft, from the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, to the B-21 Raider. All are tightly integrated into cyber information networks that vastly increase each platform's individual and collective combat power., Modern Air Warriors in today's and future platforms will continue to depend-as Air Warriors always have-on knowledge, discipline, courage, and love of country. Yet, no matter how different each era's technology may make combat appear, Air Warriors of yesterday and tomorrow will always share the unbreakable bond of service together and an indomitable will to win.