One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University
One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University
One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University
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2001<br />
September 27: Secretary <strong>of</strong> Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced that President<br />
George W. Bush had given authority to certain military commanders<br />
to order the destruction <strong>of</strong> hijacked civilian airliners.<br />
September 29: <strong>The</strong> United States launched satellites from Alaska for the<br />
first time, using the Kodiak Launch Complex. Previous U.S. spacecraft<br />
had been launched only from Florida or California.<br />
October 1: <strong>The</strong> <strong>Air</strong> Force reassigned the Space and Missile Systems Center<br />
from <strong>Air</strong> Materiel Command to <strong>Air</strong> Force Space Command, giving the<br />
latter cradle-to-grave oversight <strong>of</strong> space systems.<br />
October 1: Gen. Richard B. Myers, <strong>USAF</strong>, assumed command as chairman<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Joint Chiefs <strong>of</strong> Staff. A <strong>USAF</strong> general had not held that <strong>of</strong>fice,<br />
the highest in the military, for 19 years.<br />
October 7: Operation ENDURING FREEDOM started with air strikes<br />
against terrorist and Taliban targets in Afghanistan. B–2 Spirit<br />
bombers <strong>of</strong> the 509th Bomb Wing flew round-trip from Whiteman <strong>Air</strong><br />
Force Base, Missouri, to Afghanistan on the longest bombing missions<br />
in aviation history. Other committed <strong>USAF</strong> aircraft included B–1 and<br />
B–52 bombers; F–15E strike fighters and AC–130 gunships; KC–10 and<br />
KC–135 tankers; E–3 airborne warning and control system airplanes;<br />
EC–130 electronic-combat aircraft; and AC–130, MC–130, and MH–53<br />
special-operations airplanes. Navy F–14, F/A–18, and AV–8 aircraft<br />
from three carriers in the Indian Ocean also took part in the operation.<br />
Lt. Gen. Charles F. Wald, <strong>USAF</strong>, served as Operation ENDURING<br />
FREEDOM’s first joint force air component commander.<br />
October 8: As part <strong>of</strong> Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, C–17s made their<br />
first airdrops in a combat zone. <strong>The</strong> wide-bodied cargo airplanes<br />
dropped food over areas <strong>of</strong> Afghanistan under control <strong>of</strong> friendly<br />
forces.<br />
October 9: <strong>The</strong> North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) launched<br />
Operation EAGLE ASSIST, deploying airborne warning and control<br />
system aircraft from Europe to the United States to help patrol the<br />
skies after the terrorist attacks <strong>of</strong> September 11. This was the first time<br />
NATO forces were deployed in the United States for a real contingency.<br />
By the end <strong>of</strong> the operation on May 16, 2002, seven NATO aircraft<br />
had flown 360 sorties.<br />
October 26: <strong>The</strong> Defense Department chose Lockheed Martin over Boeing<br />
to build the Joint Strike Fighter. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Air</strong> Force, Navy, and Marine<br />
Corps planned to purchase thousands <strong>of</strong> the stealthy aircraft, designated<br />
the F–35.<br />
November 2: During Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, an MH–53 Pave<br />
Low helicopter crew from the 20th Special Operations Squadron<br />
159