An Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force (AETF) is a deployed numbered air force (NAF) or command echelon immediately subordinate to an NAF that is provided as the U.S. Air Force component command committed to a joint operation.
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Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force (AETF) is a deployed numbered air force (NAF) or command echelon immediately subordinate to an NAF that is provided as the U.S. Air Force component command committed to a joint operation.
Notional AETF Composition
| Forward Deployed (75 total) |
Function |
On-call (100 total) |
| 18 x F-15C |
Counterair |
6 |
| 10 x F-15E |
Counterland |
14 |
| 8 x F-16CJ |
Counterair/Counterland |
10 |
| 12 x A-10 The A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic for the United States Air Force to provide close air support of ground forces by attacking tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground targets with a limited air interdiction...
|
Counterland (CAS) |
14 (ANG) |
| 3 x E-3 The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American military airborne warning and control system aircraft based on the Boeing 707 that provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications, to the United States, United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia, and NATO air defense forces. It is...
|
Surveillance/C2 |
0 |
| 3 x HH-60 |
CSAR |
9 |
| 8 x C-130 |
Airlift (Intra-Theater) |
10 (ANG) |
| 4 x KC-10 |
Air Refueling |
2 |
| 3 x KC-135 |
Air Refueling |
7 (ANG) |
| 3 x KC-135 |
Air Refueling |
7 (ANG) |
| 3 x C-21A |
Airlift |
6 |
0 x B-52/B-1The B-1 Lancer is a strategic bomber used by the United States Air Force. First envisioned in the 1960s as a supersonic bomber with sufficient range and payload to replace the B-52 Stratofortress, it developed primarily into a low-level penetrator with long range and supersonic speed capability...
|
Strategic Attack |
6 |
| 0 x B-2 The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with "low observable" stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. Because of its considerable capital and operations costs, the project was controversial in...
|
Strategic Attack |
3 |
0 x F-117The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a stealth ground attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force. The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved Initial Operational Capability status in October 1983...
|
Strategic Attack |
6 |
High Demand/Low Density assets tasked as required:
E-3The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American military airborne warning and control system aircraft based on the Boeing 707 that provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications, to the United States, United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia, and NATO air defense forces. It is...
,
E-8The E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System is a United States Air Force airborne Battle Management and command and control platform that conducts ground surveillance to develop an understanding of the enemy situation and to support attack operations and targeting that contributes to the...
,
U-2The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is a single-engine, very high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency. It provides day and night, very high-altitude , all-weather surveillance...
, EC-130, RC-135, CSAR