Wright-Patterson AFB History

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Aeronautical Systems Center
T
he Aeronautical Systems Center team, together with other defense activities and
industry, develops, acquires, modernizes and sustains the world’s best aerospace
systems.
The Aeronautical Svstems Center’s emblem
represents the heritage and mission of the
Center. The emblem portrays progress in
the field of flight from the early Wright
Flyer, upward through a symbolic delta wing
aircraft to a symbolic aerospace vehicle. The ~
outline of a man’s head represents the I
Center’s valuable work force, with its
diversified experience and skill in man-
agement, technical, and administrative
fields. The light blue background repre-
sents the atmosphere which is pierced,
through advancements in science and tech-
nology, with integrity and wisdom unto the far
reaches of space (the dark blue area). The em-
blem bears the Air Force colors, ultramarine blue
and golden yellow.
3
Lineage and Commanders
of Aeronautical Systems Center
April 19 17 - Aviation Section, Army Signal Corps, contained a small engineering
department consisting of sections for Engine Design and (Air)plane Design, located
in Washington, D.C., under direction of:
Mr. Henry Souther
24 May 19 17 - Aircraft Engineering Division created within the Aviation Section, Army
Signal Corps, by combining the former engineering department with the Inspection
Department of the Signal Corps’ Aeronautical Division. Division under the direction
of:
Maj Henry Souther

May - August 19 17
2 August 1917 - Equipment Division established within the Signal Corps under the
direction of Co1 Edward A. Deeds.
1 1 August 19 17 - Majority of officers and civilians of Aircraft Engineering Division

transferred to Equipment Division.
27 August 1917 - Equipment Division reconstituted. Under new organizational

scheme, the Engine and Plane Design Sections placed under the Division’s
Production Department.
13 October 19 17 - Engine Design and Plane Design Sections transferred from the
Equipment Division’s Production Department to the new Aircraft Engineering
Department (headquartered at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, from 4 December
19 17). New department under the direction of:
Lt Col Virginius E. Clark

October 1917 - January 1918
Lt Co1 Jesse Ci. Vincent

February - August 19 18
4
24 May 1918 - Signal Corps’ Aviation Section disestablished and its engineering and
procurement functions taken over by the Bureau of Aircraft Production (BAP) and the
Division of Military Aeronautics (DMA) of the newly created Air Service.
3 1 August 1918 - Aircraft Engineering Division created within the BAP by combining
the former Aircraft Engineering and Production Engineering Departments. New
division under the direction of:
Lt Col Jesse G. Vincent

September - November 1918
Co1 Thurman H. Bane

November 1918 - January 1919
1 Jan 1919 - Technical Division constituted by consolidating the Airplane Engineering

Department (BAP), the Technical Section (DMA), and the Testing Squadron of Wilbur
Wright Field. New division under the direction of:
Col Thurman H. Bane

January - March 1919
13 March 1919 - Technical Division redesignated the Engineering Division. Division

under the direction of:
Col Thurman H. Bane

March 1919 - January 1923
Maj L. W. McIntosh
January 1923 - July 1924
Maj John F. Curry

July 1924 - October 1926
12 October 1926 - Materiel Division created by combining the Engineering Division

with the Supply Division (including the Field Service Section at the Fairfield Air
Depot), the Industrial War Plans Section, and the Materiel Disposal Section of the
former Air Service (redesignated the Army Air Corps, 2 July 1926). New division
given procurement responsibility which previously had been controlled in
Washington, D.C. Moved to Wright Field in the spring of 1927. New division under
the direction of:
Brig Cien William E. Ciilmore

October 1926 - June 1929
Brig Gen Benjamin D. Foulois

June 1929 - June 1930
Brig Gen Henry C. Pratt

July 1930 - March 1935
Brig Gen Augustine W. Robins

April 1935 - February 1939
Brig Gen George H. Brett

February 1939 - October 1939
2 October 1939 - Chief of Materiel Division moved to Washington, D.C., while the
assistant chief position remained at Wright Field. The assistant chiefs were:
Lt Co1 Oliver P. Echols

October 1939 - December 1940
VACANT
December 1940 - January 194 1
Brig Gen George C. Kenney

February 1941 - March 1942
Brig Gen Arthur W. Vanaman

March 1942 - March 1942
Experimental Engineering Section of the Materiel Division

was under the direction of:
Lt Col Franklin 0. Carroll
June 1940-March 1942
6
9 March 1942 - Supply and maintenance functions moved from Materiel Division to Air
Service Command. Materiel Division was redesignated the Materiel Command.
16 March 1942 - Functions at Wright Field renamed Materiel Center under the direction
of:
Brig Gen Arthur W. Vanaman
March 1942 - March 1943
Maj Gen Charles E. Branshaw

March 1943 - April 1943
Engineering Division of the Materiel Center continued under the direction of:
Brig Gen Franklin 0. Carroll
April 1942 - April 1943
1 April 1943 - HQ Materiel Command moved from Washington, D.C. to Wright Field and
absorbed Materiel Center. Materiel Command was under the direction of:
Maj Gen Charles E. Branshaw

April 1943 - May 1944
Maj Gen Bennett E. Meyers (Acting)

June 1944 - July 1944
Brig Gen Kenneth 8. Wolfe Maj Gen Eranshaw
July 1944 - August 1944
Engineering Division of the Materiel Command continued under the direction of:
Brig Gen Franklin 0. Carroll
April 1943 - August 1944
31 August 1944 - Materiel and Air Service Commands merged to form Air Technical
Service Command (ATSC). ATSC’s Engineering Division was under the direction of:
6 March 1946 - Air Technical Service Command was redesignated Air Materiel
Command (AMC). Engineering Division of AMC operated under the direction of:
Brig Gen Laurence. C. Craigie

March 1946 - August 1947
Brig Gen Alden R. Crawford

August 1947 - August 1949
Brig Gen R. P. Swofford

September 1949 - April 1951
January 1950 - Air Force Chief of Staff separated research and development from Air
Materiel Command and established a separate Air Research and Development
Command (ARDC)
2 April 1951 - ARDC established the Air Development Force (Provisional).
7 June 1951 - Air Development Force (Provisional) became the Wright Air Development
Center (WADC) headquartered at Wright Field under the command of:
Maj Cien Frederick R. Dent

April 195 1-February 1952
Mai Gen Dent
H
Maj Cien Donald L. Putt

February 1952 - June 1952
Maj Cien Albert Ci. Boyd

June 1952 - July 1955
Maj Gen Thomas L. Bryan

July 1955 - September 1957
Maj Gen Stanley T. Wray

Maj Gen Wray
September 1957 - December 1959
15 December 1959 - Reorganization of AKDC merged Wright Air Development Center

and AKDC’s Directorate of Systems Management into Wright Air Development
Division (WADD). WADD remained at Wright Field under the direction of:
P Maj Gen Stanley T. Wray

December 1959 - July 1960
Maj Gen Joseph R. Holzapple

July 1960 - March 1961
1 April 1961 _ Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) succeeded AKDC. Under the
realignment, WADD merged with the Aeronautical Systems Center of Air Materiel
Command to form Aeronautical Systems Division (ASD). ASD was headquartered at
Wright Field under the command of:
Maj Gen W. Austin Davis

April 1961 - July 1962
Maj Gen Robert G. Ruegg

July 1962 - July 1964
Maj Gen Davis

Maj Gen Charles H. Terhune, Jr.
July 1964 - 1 June 1967
Maj Gen Harry E. Goldsworthy

June 1967 - July 1969
9
Maj Gen Lee V. Gossick

August 1969 - June 1970
Lt Gen James T. Stewart

June 1970 - August 1976
Maj Gen Terhone Lt Gen George H. Sylvester

September 1976 - March 1979
Lt Gen Lawrence A. Skantze

March 1979 - August 1982
Lt Gen Thomas H. McMullen

August 1982 - July 1986
Lf Gen McMullen
Lt Gen William E. Thurman
July 1986 _ July 1988
Lt Gen J. Michael Loh

July 1988 _ May 1990
Lt Gen Thomas R. Ferguson, Jr.

June 1990 - June 1992
1 July 1992 - HQ Air Force merged Air Force Systems Command and Air Force
Logistics Command into Air Force Materiel Command. Aeronautical Systems
Division was redesignated Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC). ASC remained at
Wright Field under the command of:
b Lt Gen Thomas R. Ferguson, Jr.

July 1992 _ May 1993
I
I3
Lt Gen James A. Fain, Jr.
May 1993 - October 1994
Lt Gen Richard M. Scofield

October 1994 May 1996
Lt Gen Kenneth E. Eickmann

May 1996 May 1998
mid
Lt Gen Robert F. Raggio
June 1998 Present
Beginning
with the
Wright
Brothers
A
with
viation
dates
the fledgling
development
back to the
efforts
in Dayton
early
of Orville
1900’s
and
Wilbur Wright. From 1899 to 1903,
working out of their bicycle shop in
downtown Dayton, they studied the
principles of aeronautical engineering,
aerodynamics, and propulsion that
enabled them to design, build, and fly
kites, then gliders, and eventually
airplanes.
12
The Wright brothers first tested their

theories over the windy sand dunes of fill
Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina,
making their epochal first flight of 12
seconds on 17 December 1903. In 1904
and 1905, the brothers perfected their
skills, turning their Wright Flyer into the
first practical airplane, capable of fully-
controlled flight. This development took
place ten miles east of Dayton in a field
called Huffman Prairie near Simms Station,
a local train depot.
On 17 December 1903, Orville Wtighf made the historic first flight at TO-35 A.M., lasting 12 seconds.
After suspending flying activities to concentrate on negotiating contracts for the sale
of the Flyer, establishing companies for marketing the plane in America and Europe, and
obtaining the final patent for the control system, Wilbur Wright went to Europe to
demonstrate their accomplishments. With Wilbur in France, Orville left for Washington,
D.C. in 1908, to conduct acceptance tests for the U.S. Army Signal Corps at Fort Meyer,
Virginia. Unfortunately, one of the propellers split during the tests causing the plane to
crash. The accident killed the passenger, Lt Thomas E. Selfridge, and severely injured
Orville.
After his recovery, Orville joined his
brother in Europe, flying for large crowds in
France and Italy as well as training student
pilots. In 1909, Orville returned to the United
States to resume the acceptance tests at Fort
Meyer. On the last day of the tests he not only
met the government’s speed requirement but
earned an extra $5000 by flying 42.5 miles
per hour, 2.5 mph faster than specified by the
Army. On 2 August 1909, the Army Signal
Corps took delivery from the Wright brothers 01
Signal Corps Airplane No. 1 at a total cost of
$30.000.
Returning to Ohio, the brothers

started the aviation industry in Dayton
with the incorporation of the Wright
Company in November 1909. A year
later, the company was manufacturing
two planes a month. Between 19 10 and
1916, the Wright brothers operated the
company’s school of Aviation and the
Wright Exhibition Company from
Huffman Prairie. The school advertised,
“four hours of actual practice in the air
and such instruction in the principles of
flying machines as is necessary to
prepare the pupil to become a competent and expert operator.” It was during this time
that Lieutenant Henry “Hap” Arnold, future chief of the Army Air Forces, learned to fly. A
total of 1 19 pilots, both military and civilian (including three women and several
Canadians) earned their wings at Simms Station.
Lt Henry H. Arnold
Lt Henry Ii. Arnold graduated from the
0.S. M//h%?fyAcademy at West Point in
1907. Arnold mcaived flight instmctlon at
the Wright School ofAvIation in lgll, and
while them formed a lifelong Mendship with
the Wright%. When Arnold ratumed to
Oayton 01 lgZg, as a major and Com-
mander of the FahUeid Air Depot, Orville
Wright often was a guest In Arnold’s home.
Amold also sewed as Executhfe Officer to
tha Chief of Materiel LUvklon at Wdght
Field from 1930 to 1931. Arnold later
earned the Cm-star supergrade of General
of the Army for his service dwfng World
War II.
I6
Establishment
of Signal
Corps
Aviation and
World War I
1 n 1907, the Aeronautical Division
1 was established within the Office of

_
the Chief Signal Officer of the Army and
put in charge “of all matters pertaining to military ballooning, air machines, and all
kindred subjects on hand.” The Signal Corps fleet consisted of two balloons and one
dirigible, when in 1909, the Army acquired Signal Corps Airplane No. 1. Congress,
however, limited further spending on “military aeronautics” so that in 1910 the total
Aeronautical Division consisted of only four air
vehicles and 27 men.
Many Europeans viewed the Wright brothers’
invention as a potentially powerful war machine and
consequently, embraced the technology, adding air
units to their conventional military forces. The
United States, on the other hand, isolated from the
impending threat of war and slowed by patent
disputes among aircraft manufacturers, neglected
to see the advantages of aviation. The Signal Corps required the Wr&7ht airplane be
designed for wagon transpoti.
When World War I began in the summer of 1914, the United States was ill-prepared to
assist the allies in fighting an air war. In July 1914 the Army Signal Corps Aviation
Section, the successor to the Aeronautical Division, had 30 aircraft and 40 pilots. When
the United States entered the war in April 1917, the numbers had risen to some 200
airplanes, none combat worthy, and fewer than 1,200 men assigned to the Aviation
Section. At the time of the Armistice on 11 November 1918, of the total 16,831
airplanes the Army had received, only 6,287 had been delivered to the American
Expeditionary Force. Of these, none were of American design. Most were British
DeHavillands with two French Le Peres.
Co1 Edward A. Deeds

lndusblaitst Edward A. Deeds was a
key member of the Ai& Pmductton
Board, a body created to coordi”ate ail
activities of the “atlO”‘S airwet? manufac-
turers during the massive bid/d-up for
World War i. A pmminent member of the
Dayton con”nwdty, he was President of the
Llekw company, past Pm&lent of the
National Cash Regisb?r Company, and
President of the Dayton Meteis Products
Company. in 1917, he we* commissioned
as a colonel in the Signai Corps Reserve
and appointed Chief of the Signal Corps
Equip”m”t Diviskm, responsible for
devei~ent end supply of all Army
&we*.
Colon.4 Edward A Deeds Chief of
Signal Corps Equipment Division.
Responding to the Signal Corps’ urgent need to train pilots, Edward A. Deeds, a local
Dayton industrialist, arranged in 19 17 for the lease of over 2,000 acres of land due east
of Dayton in the Miami Conservancy District’s Mad River flood plain, for use as a Signal
Corps Aviation School and flying field. Encompassing the old Huffman Prairie Flying Field,
this area was named Wilbur Wright Field in memory of the elder Wright brother who had
died of typhoid fever in 1912.
Aeronautical p rior to the war, the U.S. Congress had

established the National Advisory
Systems Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) on 3 March

1915. Congress’ foremost concern was the
Center starts potential capability for America to provide an

effective aerial force for its impending
at McCook involvement in the war. Lacking American

engineers with military aircraft design
Field experience, the NACA, along with the Army

and Navy, planned to build its own research
and experimentation laboratory at Langley
Field, Virginia. With Langley Field construction
slowed by warmpressures, the Aviation Section
of the Signal Corps decided to pursue another
location for its aviation research.
Charles l? Kettering 'I

'3
Ohioian Charles F. Kettering from .B
Loudonville and Dayton made signii7cant
contributions to the auto indusby from his
company, Dayton Engrneering Laboretodes
Company (“Delco”). Among his inventions
was the self-starter for automobiles, which
eliminated the need for hand-cranking.
Kettering also sewed on the boerd of the
Dayton-Wrtght Company. During World
War I, Ketteriw designed and but/t
the world’s fh’st “golded missile,”
the Kettedng Aerial Torpedo,
nicknamed the “Bug.” This flying
bomb wes fhst tested on 2 October
1918 with mixed msults, and wes
not used In World War 1. r-r-
20
Answering the Signal Corps’ request to find another location for an aeronautical
experimental facility, Colonel Edward A. Deeds, with the advice of Dayton’s Charles F.
Kettering, Orville Wright, and Major Jesse G. Vincent, Chief of the Engine Design Section
of the Equipment Division, selected a site north of downtown Dayton for construction of a
temporary experimental engineering field where all Army aircraft engineering and
procurement functions could be consolidated in one area. Construction of McCook Field
began in October 19 17 and was named in honor of a local family, the “Fighting
McCooks,” that sent 17 men to fight for the North in the Civil War. This field became the
home of the Signal Corps (later Air Service) Airplane Engineering Department. McCook
Field was outfitted with the best that money could buy in 19 17 for flight testing. This
included a sod airfield and a 1 ,OOO-foot long by loo-foot wide macadam and cinder
runway for use during inclement weather to prevent damage to the aircraft and its
instrumentation. This early flight test instrumentation often amounted to little more than
an altitude barograph with an ink pen tracing on a rotating paper drum, balanced with a
log book on the pilot’s knees.
I 21
J
Colonel Deeds, as a member of the Aircraft Production Board, also was acutely aware
of the nation’s lack of aircraft production facilities. He urged several of his friends and
business associates, including Charles F. Kettering. to
form a private enterprise for the production of
warplanes. In supporting this effort, Orville Wright
gave his name to the Dayton-Wright Airplane
Company, and sat on the board of directors.
The Dayton-Wright factory (previously occupied by
Delco Light and subsequently part of the General
Motors truck complex) was located in the south-
Dayton suburb of Moraine. Dayton-Wright aircraft
were flight tested at Deed’s nearby estate, Moraine
Farm, one of the first private airfields in the country.
By the war’s end Dayton-Wright, under license from
DeHavilland, had produced 3,106 DH-4s, an
American version of the famous British-designed, all-
wood, two-seat biplane, day bomber. Powered by an
American-built, 12cylinder Liberty engine, the aircraft
was known to many as the “Liberty Plane.” It saw
limited use on the front, and was used mostly as a
trainer.
In the years following the war, McCook
engineers, located 10 miles north of the
factory, tested and modified the DH-4. By
the time the aircraft was retired from service
in the 1930’s. it had over 60 distinct model
designations, including models for
emergency medical transport, crop dusting,
photo reconnaissance, air racing, and mail
and messenger transport.
Another aircraft built at the Moraine plant,
and acquired by the Air Service was the
Curtiss JN-4. The “Jenny” became the primary trainer used by American and Canadian
pilots. Nearly 400 of these two-seat, tandem biplanes, with stick aileron control, were
built. After the war, this airplane became the favorite for circus daredevils and
barnstorming stunt pilots.
For the decade after the war, the Airplane Engineering Department, renamed the
Airplane Engineering Division, continued to serve as the center of all Army aviation
research and development. McCook engineers kept the skies humming with flight testing
from both McCook and Wilbur Wright Fields. In 1919 alone there were 1,276 test flights
recorded by McCook’s Flight Test Section. McCook engineers tested numerous planes
including American, allied, and captured enemy planes. One early native model, the VCP-
1 was designed by resident engineers, Alfred V. Verville and Virginius E. Clark. Another
aircraft tested was the MB-l, eventually used as the standard mail plane. Other aircraft
Co1 Thurman H. Bane
After senda with General penhlng’s punh%-e

ex&wdition to Mexico, Thumwn H. Bane 68~8~
to the Amy Signal Corps’ Aviatkm Sectron as
sacmtary of the Aviaffon School at Noftfrfsfand,
San Mego, Cdhbmla. Without fom@ ~lnewlng
baining,& devtsed a course in OerwrsuUiw aisd
d&an. He also asswned dkuctkwgf HotWsla~s
aemnautlcal shops. In January lglS,, aft& swvlng
in aeronautkai-dated dWtes in Wash/* D.C.,
Bane was placed In charge of McCook l%sfd whem
he omanized the Air Servim’s EnahmwlmtoMsfon.
At thssame t/me, he bmdad ati .&I Se&&e School
of Application, the forerunner of the Air Fqw
Institute of Technotogy. W?#ifein chafpe ofMcCook,
6ana Inbodmed modem IndusWat methods of
research, design, and manufeclure; and twuhwed a
dlvlslon of labor between Industry and the Amy%
in-house aemnaoticat development eRor&.
Colonel Thurman H. Bane, Chief of Air
Service Engineeting Division.
23
included the MB-2 through MB-7 series, the

most successful being the M&3, a single-
seat pursuit aircraft with a water-cooled
engine, and synchronized machine guns.
Beginning in 1922, international air
races brought aviation back into the
limelight, pitting the Air Service and private
industry against each other for trophies and
money. At McCook Field, engineering
achievements in support of these races led
to great advancements in propulsion and
aerodynamics. Air Service pilots flew
numerous versions of racing aircraft built
by several manufacturers, beginning with
the Verville R-l and progressing through the
Curtis+Navy R-8.
Unfortunately, researching and testing
the limits of men and machines often ended
in disaster and loss of life. Under the
leadership of Colonel Edward L. Hoffman,
the Engineering Division’s Parachute Section
pioneered the development and use of free-
fall parachutes. Lieutenant Harold R. Harris
was the first Air Service pilot to be “saved”
with a parachute. This event inspired the
formation of the “Caterpillar Club,” whose
members included any pilot whose life was
saved by a parachute. Charles A. Lindbergh
was the first person to qualify twice for
membership in the club.
24
Lt Harold Harris
On Octobsf lo, 1922, Lt Hsrold R. Hsnfs, ChIeFoF the FligM Test Section of the Englneerng
Division took off in a Loenlng PW-2A monoplmts from McCook Field to test tha eqwtmentsl balanced
8llstws thst had besn Fitted ths ptwlous dsy. While engaged In s “manoeuvmb/Ety test” sgainst a
Thomas Morse MS-Z, piloted by Lt Muir Fabchlld, Lt Ha& suddenly sxpettenced terttble vlbmtlon In
ths &plane conbuls. Unable to mgsin control oFtho s&k, he opted to jump out and use hls psrachute.
AFter mronsously pulll~ on ths leg sb’sp fltth?g thms times, he found the correct handle and pulled lt at
590 Feet OR the ground. He landnd satWy a couple blocks from wham his plane crashed. Lt Hants Is
cmdlted ~4th being ths first tolump out olan &plane andsuwlve using a parachute. This first
~-~;~;tion of ths Cstmptllsr Club, composed of lndhddwls whose lhws have been saved
25
McCook pilots set numerous air records. In a supercharged open cockpit Packard-
LePere LUSAC-1 1 two-seat biplane, Major Rudolph “Shorty” Schroeder set a solo altitude
record of 33,114-feet in 1920, freezing his eyelids open in the process. In 1925,
Lieutenant James H. Doolittle, pushing a XCO-5 beyond 37,000 feet, temporarily lost
consciousness in the thin oxygen and minus 70 degree Fahrenheit temperature. These
problems led the engineers at McCook to design protective clothing and other
improvements such as closed cockpits, heated and pressurized cabins, and oxygen
systems.
,, ~,
: h ~$tl@%bf&w Rudolph W. S&v&w snfkted in the
‘t&S:Army, sedng in the Aviation Ssction of thq S/g&
,~Gotps. Rising to the rsnk ofmsjor by the end of WorldWar ET
I, wwtiy” schtvader cane by MeCook Fwt ic fwa to
command test plots. He senmdes theATn?y’s~cbtef @st
psot bstwean lOi end r!fza Ftgii rOta c 1626 swvsdw
setthwwoddemtifdsrpcamla~,~~~ .: ‘: ,~ ,:
HlsRIw~~R&&t.0n’~~mylo#1,
rlEa@v~hhfs*th~~~~&~faranbourand47
minutes to sn ambfde of33,114&8twith s tempemtwe@6
degmes b&w zero Fahmnh& Schmsdsr began to stfi%ar
hum oxygen de flclency andcettmn monoxkls ppkonhtg
from the enghw’s fumes. When he faked h/s goggles fore
moment to locate his emergency oxygen supply. the fltm of
moisture between his eyelids and his @iIs fmzs. He
attempted to put ths ptans Into s gentle descent but Instesd
fell inlo a vertical dive and passed out He mgakmd con-
sclotwmss after diving nemty SIX ml/es and was able to pull
out et an a/tnuda of 2,fxm feet WRh MaprRudblphw.-r
obst~cted eyesight, Schmedw
stmggtsd to s ssfe landlng. “Wig
with MS vki0n pennanentiy i :a _’
Impshmd, Schmedsr winked In the
eme of airwaR safety dudng h/s
.,:-,~~&4
ch4iisn csreer, dew%p/ng opsratfonal .:;a
sekty stendetds for -1
Labora~senrlngasenlerofarr
he InspecUon for the A/r Commems
B”nre”, end becomi”g \llce PresMent
of Sakty for Unlted AlrMes.
26
7
Lt James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle

Upon America’s entry into World War I, James H.
Doolittle enlisted in the AviaUon Section of the Arty Signal
Corps. After receiving his degree in military aeronautics
end completing flight training, Dooliffle made hi&my as the
first pilot to fly coas6to-coast in less than a day in a modi- 1
fied DeHavMand DH-4. Only a few days after that night,
Dooliffle was; assigned to the Air Service’s Engineering
1
School at McCook Field. Interrupting his graduate studies at
MIT in aemnauticai sciences, Dooliffle perfommd a se&s of
grueling flight acceleration tests in a Fokker PW-7 at
McCook in March 1924. During these tests, he drove his
cafl to the point of structural felkmz to determine ffight
loads on the wings under extreme conditions while barely
Lt .!a
iIRe> receiving his doctorate, he returned to McCook
Field to continue flight testing from April 1927 to January 1929. In 1929, the Air Corps
granted Doolittle a leave of absence to direct the Full Flight Laboratory at the request of
the Guggenheim Fund. There Dooliffle conducted a series of epoch-making tests using
instruments instead of visual cues for take-offs, in-flight navigation, and landing at night
and in edverse weather, in B Consolidated NY-2 military trainer aIrwaR.
During the 1920’s end early 1930’s. Doolittle also competed in several air races. In
1925, he won the Schneider Cup Seaplane Race, followed In 1931 by the Bendix Trophy for
a transcontinental Sight from California to Ohio to New Jersey. Finally in 1932, he won the
Thompson Trophy.
During this time, the stockpile of Liberty engines led McCook engineers to design
modifications to complement new airframes. Further developments during the 1920s
included the concept of the electric ignition system, as well as the invention of anti-knock
fuels by Delco Laboratories headed by Charles F. Kettering. Adding lead to fuel allowed
engines to achieve greater speeds and higher altitudes. Continued research resulted in
the development of the 700-hp. 18 cylinder “W” engine, an air-cooled power plant
enhanced with a supercharger. Other developments included improved navigational aids
such as the earth-conductor compass and radios, improved weather forecasting
J
techniques, stronger propellers, advancements in aerial photography, and the design of
landing and wing lights for night flying.
During these years aircraft were, for the first time, designed to fulfill a specific role.
Because the majority of conservative military strategists assigned the airplane to an
observation role, McCook Field engineers focused most of their effort in this direction.
In all, they tested I4 different observation aircraft, starting in 192 I with the XCO-I and
ending with the XCO-GA.
27
Even though the focus was toward observation, and later transport, Brigadier General
William “Billy” Mitchell continued to champion the use of air power for strategic and
tactical purposes. Consequently, he urged that all Air Service pilots be trained in
bombing and strafing techniques, using equipment such as the electrical synchronizer for
the machine gun, bomb sights, bomb hoists, and internal bomb racks, all innovations
developed at McCook Field.
Brig Gen William B. “Billy” Mitchell

Will/am S. Mitchell enlisted es e private
in the 1st Wisconsin Infantry on 14 May
189e. and wes commissioned es e second
iieotenent in the netionai enny thme weeks
iater and the Regelar Amly aRer the
Spenish-Amedcen War. He eerned his
pilot’s wiws in e&y 1917, pay/w fw his
own cMtian flying lessons. During service
~4th the American Expeditionary Forces In
France, Mitchell won nunwous U.S. Air
Service and foreign decoretions.
Mitchell was appointed Assistant Chief
of the Air Sew/~ In 1920 and promoted to
brigadier general. He wes a frequent
visitor to both McCook and Wilbur Wdght
Fields, paying close attention to the
engineering developmente and expwi-
merits teking place. Mitchell wes the
originator of the Round-the- World flight.
Big Gen Wi//iem 8. MitcheN

General Mitchell arranged for British aircraft

designer Walter Barling to come to McCook Field
in 19 19 to design and build a long-range bomber
capable of cartying a bomb load sufficient to sink
a battleship. The XBNLI Barling bomber,
weighing 43,569 pounds, never lived up to
Mitchell’s expectations, but set several world
records and paved the way for the development of
the first successful “big bomber.”
In 1925, the role assigned the Engineering Division shifted from design and building
of aircraft to acquiring and evaluating aircraft prototypes submitted by the commercial
aircraft industry. By allowing aircraft acquisition to become a commercial process, the
Air Service forced developers to compete with each other in order to produce quality
aircraft. Consequently McCook engineers were left free to concentrate on developing
standards unique to military aircraft, reviewing designs, modifying and testing procured
machines, and developing ancillary equipment to enhance military aircraft.
29
The Move I
n 1926,
Division
the
combined
Engineering
with
Division
the new
and the
responsibility
Supply
of
to Wright procurement
division required
to form
better
the Materiel
quarters
Division.
than the
The
poor
new
facilities
Field and limited

Threatened
runway
with losing
that McCook
Air Service
Field had
activities,
to offer.
John H.
Patterson, President of the National Cash Register
Corporation in Dayton, led a local campaign to raise
money to purchase a tract of land large enough
for a new air field. After the elder Patterson
died in 1922, his son, Frederick, continued the
effort by organizing the Dayton Air Service
Committee, a coalition of prominent Daytonians
and businessmen. Their intensive campaign
raised $425,000 in two days, enough to
purchase 4,520 acres east of Dayton, including
Wilbur Wright Field, already leased by the Air
Service, and Huffman Prairie. In August 1924,
the Air Service accepted Dayton’s gift.
DBLY .,NJZ-WS /
After a slow start in receiving funds and beginning construction, Wright Field was
officially dedicated on 12 October 1927. The McCook laboratories and engineering
shops moved into buildings which eventually became Area B’s “downtown.” They
consisted of a main laboratory, a final assembly hangar and adjacent shops, a
dynamometer laboratory, wind tunnels, propeller test facilities, an airship hangar, an
armament range, a foundry, and other supporting facilities.
The Power Plant Laboratory continued its

search for more powerful, efficient engines as
aircraft became larger. Development of Prestone
anti-freeze allowed the older liquid-cooled
engines to function with considerably smaller
radiators. Further development of air-cooled
radial engines included the Wright Whirlwind, the
Pratt and Whitney Wasp, and the g-cylinder Wright
Cyclone.
31
While the private sector was charged with designing aircraft, the Equipment Branch
developed accessories to allow aircraft to perform more effectively. Some of these
developments included improved navigation and communications equipment, cockpit
instrumentation, electrically-heated flight clothing, and in-flight refueling equipment. The
Physiological Research Laboratory led pioneering research in pilot exposure to extremes
of speed, pressure, and temperature.
Meanwhile, at Wright Field, construction continued, aided by such Depression-driven
federally funded work programs as the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Among the
several projects undertaken, WPA laborers dug by hand a basement beneath building 16
which expanded space for the Materials Branch. Another project, the uniquely art deco-
styled building 12, completed in 1937, housed the first Army Aeronautical Museum, the
forerunner to the U.S. Air Force Museum.
Between August 1925 and July 1931, the area that had been Wilbur Wright Field
became part of Wright Aeld. On 1 July 1931, however, Wright Field was divided. All of
the land east of Huffman Prairie was designated Patterson Field in honor of Daytonian
Lieutenant Frank S. Patterson who perished in a DH-4 while testing an experimental
machine gun synchronizer. From 1931 to 1948, the two fields remained separate with
engineering functions at Wright Field and logistics functions at the Fairfield Air Depot
located at Patterson Field.
32
Lt Frank S. Patterson
Frank S. Patlarson, tha nephew of John H.
Pattwaon, enlisted as a private in tha Aviation
Section of the En/Mad Reserve Corps, U.S. Army in
May 1917. After ground, prfmaty, and advanced
fl/ght training, he was assignad to Post Fiaid, Fort
S//l, Oklahoma, tit&n/w in aerial obsuvation.
After compiatfon, Pattamon was commisakmad as
a fkst Iieutanant in Me ORkxrs Reserve Corps with
the aemnaatka~ raffng ofpilot.
In May 1918, Patterson was assigned to the
137th Aam Squadron at Wiibw Wright Fiaki to
conduct tests on the DH-4 and Bdstoi Fighter
abplatms. On 79 June 1918, Lt Pattamon and his
aerial oLmmr, Lt LeRoy A. Swan, went up in thair
DH-4 to test nawiy ins&Sad machina guns synch*
nlzed by Naison ktarr@argear equipmanL After
comptdng the 8tst two trials succasafuliy, Lt
Pattemon dimbad to 15,000 fast and pointed tha
ahphne In a steep diva. Just ad the sound of tha
guns was haenl, tha wiws of the ahpiana were
saw to cd/apse and separate fmm the fvbclage
Tha machhm was complately dastmyed and the
ctuw khd. La* I~tfgaUon determhmd that the
thl mds shearad umdw um &dn. Test /Mot Lt Frank S. Patterson was k/Ned in the
crash of his OH-4 biplane wbita testing a
machine gun synchmnizer over WNbw Wright
Fidd, lg June ISIS.
Although reluctant to acquire dedicated bombers as advocated by General Mitchell.

the Air Staff did give its approval to buy attack aircraft. Fast, lightweight, and highly
maneuverable, attack aircraft were favored because they could attack ground targets and
double as short and medium range bombers. The first production attack aircraft was the
A-3 Falcon, manufactured by the Glenn Curtiss Company between 1928 and 1930. A
desire for a more advanced attack/light bomber led to the A-l 2 Shrike, the first all-metal
attack bomber, with two enclosed cockpits and a flexible machine gun in the rear
cockpit.
The Cuifiss A-3S Falcon was built as a” attack The Curti.% A-12 Shrike, built in 1934, had machine guns
aircraft in 1930. in the landing gear fakings and a rear cockpit.
33
Maj Gen Benjamin D. Foulois

Lt. Benjamin 0. Fouiois was the Army Signal
Corps’ oi?lciai observer in the passenger seat of
the Wright Fiyer when Owiiie Wdght passed the L
aii-impdant speed trial on Juiy 39.1999. Based
on the successful completion of the speed text
and a previous endurance test the Awry iA-- ’
ordered its first airplane, Signal Corps Airplane
Number One. Fouiois later descrhed his m/e in
that historic flight, “I would like to think that I
was chosen on the basis of my inte&ctuai and
technical ability, but i found out later that it was I
my short stature, light weight and map-reading ;
experience that tipped the decision in my favor.”
in 1910 Lt. Fouiois was in the midst ofSight

training when he was massig”ed to Fort Sam
Houston in Texas, home ofSig”al Corps Air-
plane Number One. l7we he became the
Army’s only actJve /Mot, “nv@aW i~ctor
and observer befon he had even soloed in an
airplane. He completed flight train/~ on his
own, writing to Orviile for advice. Fouiois later
joked that he was the world’s first cormspon- ~
dence-schoolpilot.
5
Benjamin Fouiois served as Chief of the
Materiel Division at Wright Field fmm June 1929
to Jo/y 1930 and resided in the commander% official residence, a nhmtaenth century fi”” house.
During his tamer he held nunwoos leadership positions. He won the prestigious Mackay Trophy
for his command of the 1931 Air Corps’ manewets that wem based out of Wright Field and went
on to command the U.S. Arty A/r Corps doting the years reading up to World War/l. Foulois was
one of the few brave men who chose to endure personal and pmfessionai retaliation for his
outspoken support for an air fame hnfependent of Army control in later years he mceivad be/s&d
mcogniffon for his nomemos conbfbotions to miiitary aviation and was honomd at WPAFB in 1989
when Building 88, his knner home and now the omciai residence of the ASC Commander was
memorializedin h/s honor.
I-
This concept led to the evolution of the light ‘.i”‘~_““_

i_* ~’“’ “~” ~‘~‘_
“~~i”vi”‘z~_’
‘:~__‘_‘~~‘li’~~^“.;
‘:“~‘~*
-“‘_ I
bomber, starting with the LB-l and continuing
through the LB-14, with the LB-3A having two
Pratt and Whitney Hornet air-cooled radial
engines and a top speed of 114 mph. In
1930, when the LB/HB (Light/Heavy Bomber)
designation was abolished, the search began
for a twin-engine medium bomber monoplane.
Boeing won the medium bomber competition The Keystone B-3*, built in 1930, had a crew of five and a
top speed Of 114 mile.5 per hour.
34
with the 8-9, an innovative all-metal aircraft with a cantilever wing which could reach
speeds approaching 188 mph but was limited in its range of less than 540 miles. With
its J-man crew, the B-9 was the first bomber with a “big bomber” look.
Proponents of strategic bombing continued to strive for a machine that would prove
their theory that airpower could be an effective force in achieving strategic objectives.
What they needed was a long-range heavy bomber that combined all-metal construction,
a monocoque fuselage, monoplane design, an air-cooled engine, and internal bomb bays.
The Martin B-10, built in 1934, met these requirements. After losing out in competition
as a light bomber, the B-10 exceeded
all requirements needed for a heavy
bomber after receiving modifications
suggested by the Materiel Division.
The enclosed cockpit made the 213-
mph maximum speed and 1,370-mile
range more tolerable for pilots; while
the Norden bombsight, internal bomb
bay, and power-operated gun turret
increased the odds for a safe return.
The establishment of commercial air routes with regular delivery of cargo, mail, and
passengers in the 1930’s. led to the development of military transports. The evolution of
cargo aircraft had been dependent on stronger airframe construction and enhanced
propulsion. In June 1927, a C-2, extensively modified at McCook Field, made national
headlines when Lieutenant Lester Maitland piloted the “Bird of Paradise” on the first nonstop
aerial crossing of the Pacific. Then on New Year’s Day 1929, the C-2 “Question Mark,”
commanded by Captain Carl Spaatz, set an airborne endurance record by staying aloft 15 1
hours. The largest order for transports went, in 1931, to General Aviation for the Fokker-
designed C-14. With a single Cyclone engine, fabric-covered steel fuselage, and plywood
cantilever wing, the C-14 became the standard transport. Modifications of this and other
transports were used for ambulances, experimental test beds, and aerial photography.
Mqj Carl fi Spa&z

Carl A. Spa& entered the U.S. MNtaty Academy in
1910. spaal? was accepted for aviation training, m-
caiwd his wings in 1916, and saw his first combat
service wtth Pershing’s Punitive Expedit@n in Mexico. in
1917, ha went to France in command of the 31st Aem
Squadron, where he shot down three enemy planes and
was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Early in
1919, Spaatz, from his statJon at Rockweii Field San
Major Cad A. 7ooay” Spaatz
Diego, Caiilivnia, flew an SE-5 British-built fighter in a
transcontinental air race, making the best time in a
single seater.
In the years between World War I and ii, Spaah sat
on boards that tested and selected each new series of
fighter. Around 1930, he was president of the Pursuit
Eva/oat/on Board, spending time at Wrfght Field durtng
competitive test fllghts.
Doting the flrst week of January 1929, Spaah
commended the C-2 “Question Mark” in a non-stop
cruise last&~ 150 hours, 40 minutes and 15 seconds.
The G2 made 36 contacts with the C-l refireiing plane,
The Atlantic C2A “Question Mark” set
received 42,000 pounds of supplies and gasoline, an airboms record by mfuefing fmm a
averaged 70 miles per hour, and maintained an average Dwgtas C-l in 1929. ~:
altitude of 3,800 feet and a maximum of 6,61X?feat.
Spaab’ dedication to the mission was evidenced in an
incidant~earty in the flight On the first day of refueling,
the air was bumpy and tom the mfueiing hose from
Spaatz’ hands, soaking him with 7&octane gasoline.
Capt Eaker ieff the cockpit and tore off Spaah’ clothes
and covered him with lubricating 011.Spaab then turned
to Eaker and instructed him not to abandon the mission
under any conditions, and that if he, Spaatz, needed
emergency treatment, he would bail out using a para-
chute. Fortunately, the on-board first aid tmabnent was
suiT?cienl, despite the greasy discomfort of oil for the
The cmw of the ‘Question M&I”
duration of the Sight included from M: Major Cad A.
Spaah, Capt Ira.C. E&w Lt H A.
Hahwson, Lt E.R. Quesada, and MSgt
ROY Hoce.
L
36
) Ml/
hile already involved in supplying
armament, aircraft, and equipment to
the European Allies under the provision of the Wright Field
Lend-Lease Act of 1941, the Materiel Division
accelerated operations in 1942 to support Through
i
direct involvement by the United States in
World War II. Prior to that time, in June 1941, World War II
1 the Army Air Corps had been redesignated the
Army Air Forces, with the engineering function
separated from the logistics function, and the
logistics activities moved to a separate
command. In 1942, Materiel Division became
Materiel Command, and was charged with responsibility for the planning, development,
testing, evaluation, modification, contracting, and coordinating production for all Army
aircraft deployed worldwide.
In order to provide the safest and most effective aircraft as quickly as possible to
front-line troops, the engineering activities at Wright i?eld, which had been renamed
Materiel Center, quickly expanded the work force and began working 24-hour days to
process information from the accelerated aircraft testing. Highest priority was given to
Wright Field’s grass runways. Concrete was poured and the new, hardened runways
opened by February 1942, just in time to accommodate testing of the 120,000 pound
XB-29. At the time the runways were being paved, intelligence sources discovered that
the Nazis were experimenting with inclined runways to shorten takeoff distance. Taking
advantage of the hill lying due east of the main field, engineers constructed a runway with
a IO-degree rise, the remnants of which can still be seen today.
37
With war came a streamlined method of aircraft acquisition. Previously, the Materiel
Division had acquired experimental prototypes of potential aircraft, subjected them to
rigorous testing, and then ordered production models of those judged superior. The
rapid wartime buildup caused the new Materiel Center to accelerate the process to fulfill
urgent requirements. To expedite the acquisition process, some aircraft were ordered
from designs still in the conceptual stage. These “off-the-drawing-board” production
models were then put through a series of grueling tests, including exposure to all
conceivable environmental and combat situations, both in the air and on the ground.
As a result of this rapid development and deployment of aircraft, the pace of
improved aeronautical technology and industrial production accelerated rapidly with
Wright Field laboratories involved in advancing the existing technology, as well as
developing new technology to support the war effort. By 1943, well over 800 major, and
thousands of minor research and development projects were in progress at Wright Field.
Because many materials were scarce or unavailable during the war, scientists in the
Materials Laboratory were involved in developing and testing a number of substitutes,
including synthetic rubber for tires, nylon for parachutes, and plastic for canopies.
3x
The Armament Laboratory addressed

the immediate problem with American
aircraft. Designed for maximum speed
and maneuverability with heavy forward
firepower, they were woefully lacking in
other offensive weapons and defensive
,
armament. With the Allies urgently
calling for modifications, the Armament
Laboratory responded with development
of armored, self-sealing fuel tanks,
increased bombload capacity, gun
turrets, and defensive armament. The
Power Plant Laboratory developed more
efficient engines with greater power and
less weight. Although their work was
primarily confined to conventional
power-plants, they also oversaw the
development of an American version of
the British Whittle jet engine for the
Army’s first jet powered aircraft.
Aircraft research centered on
development of technology for aircraft of
specific types: attack, pursuit, bombing,
transport, and training. As the Materiel Center’s research and development staff was
forced to produce a final product more quickly, engineers became adept at transferring
technology from one aircraft type to another. Attack aircraft needed to be highly
maneuverable and heavily armed and armored. Bombers needed to fly long distances,
at low or high altitudes, and have sufficient power to perform their mission.
One of earliest fighters to gain recognition was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning,
submitted for testing to Wright Field in 1939. Used for bomber escort, level bombing,
dive bombing, ground strafing, and photo reconnaissance, the P-38’s twin-boom tail
added tremendous strength while the opposing, rotating propellers enhanced stability
and control characteristics. P-38’s were responsible for downing more Japanese aircraft
in the Pacific than any other aircraft.
39
1
A magnificent single-engine fighter

designed and produced specifically for
the war was North American’s P-51
Mustang. Originally designed for the
Royal Air Force, the P-51 received much
attention by engineers at Wright Field.
The first of nearly 15,000 Mustangs
rolled off the assembly line in 1943. A
superb bomber escort, the P-51, with a
speed of 400 miles per hour could
outmaneuver most German or Japanese
aircraft. Used again in the Korean War,
the P-51 continued active service into
the 1970s under the U.S. Air Force’s
Pave Coin program, as well as with
foreign air forces around the world.
A new generation of attack aircraft
began with the A-26 Invader, one of the
fastest attack bombers of World War II.
After placing an initial order of 1,150,
production was halted after the war, and
the remaining aircraft were redesignated
B-26’s, once the “A” designation was
dropped.
The Douglas A-26 invader flew in late Wodd War I,, and as the B-26
In 1934, Douglas and Boeing vied for in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
the contract to produce a medium
bomber for the Air Corps. Although Douglas won the contract after the Boeing Model
299 crashed on the Wright Field, the Materiel Center expressed continued interest in the
Model 299, when it exhibited capabilities that soon made all others obsolete. Model 299,
redesignated YB-I 7, was a genuine heavy bomber. By the end of the production run in
1943, 12,731 “Flying Fortresses” were procured. Models C through E had Wright
Cyclone 9 turbocharged engines capable of achieving altitudes unheard of for bombers
at speeds approaching those of fighter aircraft. These capabilities allowed formations of
B-17’s to mass together for daylight bombing raids protecting each other with a wide
assortment of guns. The &17’s Norden bombsight, along with the shift to daylight
operations, gave the aircraft a bombing accuracy never before possible.
40
Having developed the B-25, a medium bomber

made famous by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle in
his raid over Japan, and the B-24 “Liberator” long-range
bomber known for its versatility, the Air Corps
continued to look for a very heavy bomber with engines
that would provide extremely long range. The
development of the 2,200 horsepower Wright R3350
l&cylinder radial engine with exhaust-driven
turbochargers proved powerful enough to lift a fully-
loaded 125,000-pound aircraft to 30,000 feet and
permit it to cruise at nearly 300 mph for over 3,000
miles.
Lt Gen Kenneth B. Wolfe
41
Such an aircraft was the B-29. The

B-29 had four mighty R335O’s each
driving four propeller blades measuring
nearly 17 feet in diameter. The 6-29
featured a central fire control system,
advanced optical and radar bombsights,
electrically retractable tricycle landing
gear, pressurized cabin for flight crew
and gunners, with a cabin design that
gave pilots maximum visibility. Entering
the inventory in 1943, the B-29 was
most famous for delivering the atomic
bombs dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki in August 1945.
Continuing to look for a plane with greater range, the Army Air Forces procured the
XB-35, and later the jet-powered YB-49 Flying Wing aircraft. The potential success of the
flying wing design was based on the theory that elimination of the fuselage and tail
surfaces would effect greater lift and less drag, thus
allowing the aircraft to carry more weight and fly
farther. The engineers at Wright Field invested much
time and energy in finding the right combination of
propulsion and mechanical equipment needed to
make the system live up to its potential.
Insurmountable stability problems and reduced
budgets, however, caused the Flying Wing program to
be canceled in 1949. Nearly 40 years passed before
innovations in computerized, electronic flight controls
and stabilizers made the flying wing concept feasible,
as seen today in the B-2.
The YE-49 Hying Wing program was canceled in 1949 due fo stability problems.
Transport technology progressed rapidly

during the war. World War II saw the evolution
of cargo planes that could move men and
equipment into a three-theater war. Wright
Field engineers tested the most modern
innovations in transport aircraft to determine
\ their suitability for military use. Some of these
activities were recognized as milestones in the
c
field of aeronautical achievement. Sponsored
by the Materiel Division, one Lockheed Model
IOE Electra (known as a XC-35) was modified to test cabin pressurization, a feat that won
Wright Field engineers the 1937 Collier Trophy.
Several succeeding transports were tested at Wright Field including the Curtiss C-46
Commando, known for flying materiel “over the hump” to China in order to supply Allied
Troops during the war. Other transports included a range of Douglas aircraft such as the
C-47 Skytrain, and the C-53 Skytrooper. The C-47 Skytrain doubled as a casualty
evacuation airplane. As they retired from USAF service, many C-47’s were sold to Latin
American countries where some still served into the 1980’s. The military version of the
Douglas DC-4 was the C-54 Skymaster, the first, four-engine transport used by the Army.
An executive transport version, the C54C, was used by such, world leaders as Prime
Minister Winston Churchill; and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose plane was known
as the “Sacred Cow,” and is on display at the Air Force Museum.
The c-54 Skynmsfer was “Sed as a VIP transport, Show”

as the VC-54 “Sacred Cow” used by Presidents Roosevelt
and Truman.
The Douglas C-47 SkyiraW or ‘“Gooney Bird= flew in World War II,
Korea, and “ietnam.
Unpowered gliders, used for dropping large

numbers of men and materiel into combat
areas, played an important role in the Allied
victory in Europe. The most important was the
Waco CCi-4A Hadrian, the only U.S.-built glider
used in combat during World War II. Designed
by the Waco Aircraft Company, located north of
Dayton in Troy, Ohio, the glider was tested by
the Glider Branch of he Aircraft Laboratory at
the Clinton County Air Field near Wilmington,
Ohio. Towed separately or in tandem by either
a C-47 or G54, thousands of WACO gliders
were used in the D-Day Normandy invasion in
Europe.
Rotary wing technology was in its infancy in
the decades between the wars when Wright
Field engineers tested and evaluated several
versions, many submitted by pioneer lgor
Sikorsky. In May 1942, they tested the
Sikorsky XR-4 that led to the first production
helicopters outside Germany. Wartime use of
the helicopter was confined mainly to rescue
work over land and water.
A new era in aviation history began with the Army’s first jet-powered aircraft.
Successful testing of the British-designed Whittle engine at Wright Field led General
Arnold to order the immediate construction of an American jet-powered aircraft The
resulting Bell XP-59A Airacomet was developed in utmost secrecy, guarded by giving it
the same designation as a proposed, twin-boom pusher, propeller-driven aircraft that was
never produced. Though the XP-59A was underpowered and failed to perform at a level
that would qualify it for combat, it served a useful role as a technology demonstrator.
In 1944, Major Ezra Kotcher undertook pioneering work that led to the first
supersonic airplane, the Bell XB-1 (X-l). Kotcher was convinced that the speed of sound
(approximately 760 mph at sea level) was not a “barrier” to future flight, but rather a
physical condition that could be overcome with careful design. The first of two X-1s
built, “Glamorous Cilennis,” became the world’s first airplane to break the sound barrier
on 14 October 1947, piloted by former Wright Field test pilot, Captain Charles E.
Yeager.
44
Capt ChuckYeager
Upon graduation Fmm high school in 15341, Charles E.
Yeager enlisted I” the Army Afr Corps. After a superb
petfommnce es a double ace flghtarpilot In Europe, Yeager
bansitloned horn combat to test pi/ot at Wright Field
Gespite the fact that he was a captain with 1,100 flying
hours, Yeager did not have the formal education to qua/t@
as a test pilot. His expadenca did quaMy him to be an
Assistant Maintenance Officer in the Fighter Test Section, capt cflades E. veager.
where he was raquhsd to test fly the planes after maim% (Photo mn%y of Air Fonx
nance before turning them over to the test pilots. He offen MllSWll)
engaged test pilots in “dog-
fiahts.” where his cool.
a~gmisive flying skill gained
the mnfsdence of Col Albwt
0. Boyd, the” Chiefof the
Flight Test Division. Seeing
Yeagefs potentfal. Co/ Boyd
sent h/m to test pilot school
for intermive training in the
datagathedng and reporting
m.ethods -ssaty kw
determtnina soecttk limits of
aircraft A-& Yeager
graduated, Cal Royd named
him as principal test pllot for
the Bell-X-l, the cmft das-
tinedtoflypastthespeedof
sol”ld.
During 1945, Capt Yeager senwd 8.3 Assistant Maintenance CMicer in *he
Fighter lest SeeSon OF the Flight Test Dh’klan at Wdght Fiehl. ph&
of Air Force
Post World F ollowing the war and the

establishment of an independent Air
War II and Force in 1947, Wright and Patterson Fields

were consolidated in 1948. In 1950 the Air
the Cold War Force announced the creation of a separate

command for research and development. The
subsequent activation of the Air Research and
Development Command in 1951 placed the
principal elements of engineering, the
laboratories, and flight testing under the Wright
Air Development Center (WADC) at Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base.
During the 1950’s, WADC was responsible for aeronautical development in the Air
Force. Comprising seven divisions including Weapons Systems, Weapons Components,
Research, Aeronautics, All-Weather Flying, Flight Test, and Materiel, and 12 laboratories,
WADC conducted research and development efforts by means of Weapon System Project
Offices (WSPOs). The WSPO concept originated from World War II German missile
development, where missile designers were forced to focus on the entire system rather
than simply build an airframe, then hang engines, avionics, and armament on it. This
original concept has evolved into the System Program Offices (SPOs) of today.
Engineers at Wright Field evaluated captured foreign aircraft during and after World
War II. Aircraft brought to Wright Field included allied aircraft such as the Russian YAK-9
and the British Spitfire and Mosquito, and enemy aircraft including the German
JU-88, ME-109, FW-190, ME-262, and
the Japanese Zero.
Out of need for a secret location to
test experimental aircraft, the flight
testing of airframes moved to Rogers
Dry Lake, Muroc, California, later named
the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards
Air Force Base. Some flight testing
continued at Wright-Patterson but was
confined to component and instrument
testing and other specialized kinds of
flight test.
46
The most important addition to

postwar flight testing at Wright
Field was all-weather testing. It
represented the first major
attempt to solve the many
problems encountered in flying
under all weather conditions, both
day and night. The lessons
learned from the research during
this activity were successfully
applied in “Operation Vittles,” the
Berlin Airlift from June 1948-May
1949.
Aircraft developed and fielded
during World War II continued to
be modified and used during the 1950’s. The B-26 became an important aircraft in the
NATO defense system, and 450 Invaders were pressed into service during the Korean
War. Later, in 1964, they were modified into the B-26K and used for counterinsurgency
during the Vietnam War. The B-29 continued to be used in a conventional role, although
considered by the time of the Korean
War to be only a “medium” bomber
compared to the B-36.
The 6-36 “Peacemaker” was flown
by the newly formed Strategic Air
Command during the early years of the
Cold War. Other 8-36s continued in use
for reconnaissance and test purposes.
The MB-36H model carried a working
nuclear reactor on board for atomic
experimentation. The C-47 “Gooney
Bird” saw action during the Berlin Airlift,
the Korean War, and was reconfigured as
the AC-47 “Puff the Magic Dragon”
gunship for use in the Vietnam War.
Fred D. Orazio, Sr.

Fmd Orazio was commissioned a reserve second lieutenant in
the Army Corps of Engineers a&r graduating from Carnegie Institute
of Technology in 1934. while assigned to a unit in Debvtt he initralty
worked as a des/gn engineer for the automobile industry. In 1939, at
the onset of World War Ii, he came to Wright Field where he played a
central m/e in the greatest expansion of military aeronautics in
history. Ourtng the war he helped mod@ the S-29 b cany an atomic
bomb and contributed pmlimi~ry design studies for the fhst Mach 1
jet powered alrcraff. Fotlowhrg the war ha was involved in advanctng
critical revokdionary technotogy developments including supemonlc
fltghf mic pmpulston for akwaff the Al? Force’s man-in-space
program, and the ewkdion of the systams approach to ah’crat? and
spacecraft As Orazio pmgmssed thmi#gh a series of senior man-
agement posttJons, fhst In the Systems Engineering Group (later
ASD’s Deputy for Engineering) and the Deputy for Development Planning (ASLVXR), he encour-
aged the adaptation of systems analysis in the design and costing of ever more complex aem-
space vehicles and their suppoti Infrastmctums. When he ret/red in 1975 he had laid the gmund-
work to acquire the weapon systems our wartighters rely on today - the 51, F-15, F-16, A-10,
and GS alrcrat% When Fred Orazio first came to Wright Field it was a small, undeffunded m-
search and development center in the Midwest His lifetime contribution to aeronautical research
and development served to advance a wkk vartety of revolutionary aeronautical technologies and
contributed significantly to making Wrfght-Patterson AFS one of the centers of the cold war
miritary-industrial complex - a legacy that ASC carries into the 2P century.
WADC developed two “workhorse” aircraft during the 1950s -- the &52 Stratofortress
and C-130 Hercules. In April 1952, the YB-52 made its first flight. The B-52 has had a
long and distinguished career, from serving as a strategic deterrent during the Cold War
to dropping conventional weapons during Vietnam and Desert Storm, to carrying Short
Range Attack Missiles (SRAMs) and Air-launched Cruise Missiles (ALCMs) today. In 1955,
the first G130A rolled out, the first transport aircraft produced under the WSPO concept.
The G130, initially built to early personnel and equipment, was modified for varying
purposes, including as gunships in Vietnam, and most recently for support of Special
Operations Forces.
Other aircraft systems developed during this time included the B-45 Tornado (first
operational jet bomber), the B-47 Stratojet, the B-58 Hustler (first supersonic jet
bomber), the F-80 Shooting Star, (first operational jet fighter), the F-84 Thunderjet, the
F-86A Sabre, the F-94 Starfire, and the Century series (F-100 series) fighters. Missile
systems included the TM-61 Matador, the XT-99 Bomarc, the XT-98 Falcon, and X8-64
Navaho.
49
During the Korean War, the F-80 and the F-84E and G’s proved effective in the fighter-
bomber role, but inferior to Soviet counterparts in aerial combat. The F-86A. the first
American, swept-wing fighter, established itself as the premier air superiority weapon
because of its operation at high speeds and altitude. The F-94, the first operational all-
weather jet, was used as an interceptor.
WADC also developed experimental systems, known as the X-series aircraft, in an

effort to advance aviation technology and the flight envelope. In 1955, the first flight of
the X-13 demonstrated vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) technology, and in 1956, an
X-2 rocket plane exceeded Mach 3. Other developmental efforts included the X-15, a
joint National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Air Force, and Navy program
to test hypersonic and extreme altitude flight. Launched from a B-52, the X-15, would
boost to high speed and altitude with its 57,000.pound-thrust engine for 90 seconds,
then glide back to earth for a conventional landing. In November 196 I, the X- 15
attained a speed of 4,093 miles per hour and in August 1963 reached an altitude of
354.200 feet.
The Ryan X-13 demonstrated verfical takeoff and landing

(VTOL) technology i” 19.55. (Photo coutiesy of Ab Force
MUSWll,
50
,
In December 1957, Wright

Field engineers began work on
the X-20 Dyna Soar, an orbital
vehicle capable of maneuverable
re-entry and conventional landing.
Design criteria included
withstanding dynamic pressures
up to 1,020 pounds per square
foot and velocities up to 25,000
feet per second with
Mock-up of the X-20 Dyna Soar Iifthg body re-enhy vehicle
temperatures of 3,650 degrees
Fahrenheit. Although the program was terminated in December 1963 in favor of the
Manned Orbital Laboratory, the research was later applied to the development of the
Space Shuttle.
In the late 1950s. WADC used its C- I3 I B, the “Weightless Wonder,” and later its
KC-135 to acclimate astronauts to the sensations and conditions of space flight. Known
as the Zero-G Program, the effort was designed to prepare astronauts for the Gemini,
Apollo, and Skylab space projects. One of the astronauts who participated in the
program was Neil Armstrong, a native Ohioan, who in July 1969, became the first man to
walk on the moon.
Neil A. Armstrong
Nail A. Armrtmng got his pilot’s license at age 16, even before he got his driver’s license. After
receiving his bachelors degraa In aeronauffcal engineering fbm Purdue, he earned his Navy wings at
Pensacola Naval Air Stagon. During the Korean War, he flew Panther&& horn the carder Essex. He
was shot down behind
enemy lines and rescued,
while accumulating 78
combat missions. After
the war, Annstrong joid
NACA and Hew the mcket-
powaradx-Wto heights of
2OWSS feet and spaads
of 4,OSS miles per hour.
Ne beoame an astronaut
in lS62. In July lSfW, as
commandwofApoUo 11,
Neil A; Annslmng was the Agmaut Neil
first human to twch lunar m-,, HH1w man
soil. towalkonthe~.
5,
/
The I n 1961, the Air Force announced

yet another change to the systems
acquisition structure. The research and
Beginning of development mission of the Air Research and
Development Command was combined with the
Aeronautical procurement and production mission of the Air
Materiel Command to form the Air Force
Systems Systems Command. Under the new command,
WADC, renamed the Wright Air Development
Division Division (WADD] from 1959-1961, became the
Aeronautical Systems Division (ASD) in 196 1.
In 1963, the Materials, Avionics, Aero
Propulsion, and Right Dynamics Laboratories
were established and placed under one
organization, the Research and Technology
Division.
As aeronautical technology advanced and expanded, the facilities at Wright Field
proved unable to handle all the evolving development. Consequently, large engine testing
was moved to Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee; ballistic missile
development to Ballistic Missiles Division in California; electronic supporting systems to
Electronic Systems Division in Massachusetts; armament to the Air Force Proving Ground
Center in Florida and the Air Force Special Weapons Center in New Mexico; and rocket
engine development and test, and prototype and experimental flight testing to the Air
Force Flight Test Center in California.
Meanwhile at Wright Field, the Materials Laboratory began development work in
advanced composite materials, their applications, and repair. Early research and
development centered on boron-epoxy, carbon-epoxy, boron-aluminum, and carbon-
carbon materials and component designs.
Boron epoxy was the first advanced composite
material used in aircraft structures. The
Avionics Laboratory inaugurated a study of
airborne phased-array radars, a computerized,
module-based design that promised great
improvement and reliability over conventional
radars. The Aero Propulsion Laboratory
sponsored development of the TF39 engine,
the first high-bypass turbofan engine, for use in
the G5A. Additional propulsion research
52
included a series of programs to develop superior turbine engine powerplants focusing

on the engine cores, complete demonstrator engines, and aircraft-power-plant
compatibility. Today all three efforts continue under the Integrated High Performance
Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) initiative which seeks to double thrust-to-weight
engine performance by the early 2 1st century.
Operating under the Systems Program Office concept @PO), a successor to the WSPO,
and motivated by a study identifying future requirements called Project FORECAST, ASD
embarked on the development of a series of new weapons systems. In 1964, the P-1 11
was introduced as a joint-service variable-sweep wing aircraft. The F-l 1 1 was to be used
by the Air Force as a tactical fighter (F-l 1 lA), a
reconnaissance plane (RF-1 llA1, and a
bomber (FB-111). In addition, the Navy was to
use it as a fighter-bomber (F-l 118).
Possessing unique capabilities, the F-l 11, with
i ,~,
. T the wing extended, could operate from short,
; y- .,;i * :.p ~, unimproved landing strips and fly at very low
The F-777, a multi-role fighter, was introduced as a bi-
service, variable-sweep wing aircraff in 1964. speeds. With the wing swept back, it could fly
at both high and low altitudes at supersonic speeds up to Mach 2.5, about 1,665 mph.
Also in 1964, ASD recorded another step forward in American aviation with the first of
a fleet of fanjet G141 Star-lifters. The G14lA jet transport, with its mechanized loading
system, could respond immediately with troops and equipment to trouble spots
anywhere on the globe. Traveling as fast as a commercial airliner, the Starlifter was the
first jet aircraft that could carry both cargo and litter patients. Weighing about 315,000
pounds at takeoff, the aircraft could carry a 60,000 pound load more than 4,000 miles,
or 30,000 pounds for over 5,500 miles. The C-141 soon proved its worth in the
strategic airlifting of personnel and materials into combat areas in Southeast Asia and
returning wounded to the United States.
Frederick T. Rall, Jr.

Fmderick T. Rail, Jr., spent his entire tamer ensuring that
USAF fighting forces had the most technologically superior
weapon systems in the world. As a world renowned
aemdynamacist he made major enghmedng contributions In the
area of internal aerodynamics. Armed with advanced degrees
from MIT and Cal Tech, he joiN the Douglas Aircraff Co. in
1951 but was soon commissioned a second lieutenant in the
USAF. He entered active duty at Wright Air Development
Center (WADC) at Wright-Patterson AFB, where he was to
spend the rest of his career. Leaving active duty in 1955, he
began a 34-year &it/an career at WADC where he made m@r
contribufJons In the amas of internal aerodynamics with turbtne
engines and exhaust systems. As he ruse through the ranks he
worked on and later dhwted ““mem”s weapons pmgrams,
including the B-58, B-70, F-111, K-14, F-15, and F-16 programs.
In 1973 he became the technical director for the Deputy for
Engtneedng - the home oftice of ASD’s uniquely skilled cadre of enghmers. In this postthm he
established a structured englneedng approach to aviation development and production and
enswed that ASD mcndted, trained and retained the world’s best aeronautical engi-. During
his tenum ASD developed and procured the outstanding aeronautical weapons systems that won
the Cold War and k+r petfommd so well in Deseri storm. Ey the thne he retired in 1989 he had
received “” memus prestigious awards. He was once again honored in 1997 when AX’s new
building to house the Engbwering Directorate was memorialized in his honor.
Also introduced in 1964 and billed as the nation’s heaviest aircraft, the XB-70A
strategic penetrating bomber was initially developed to replace the B-52. Achieving
design goals of Mach 3 (2,000 mph), an altitude of 70,000 feet, and a gross takeoff
weight of more than 265 tons, the bomber was later canceled when it encountered
technical difficulties, and failed to meet design requirements.
Other systems appearing in the 1960’s included the SK-7 1 reconnaissance aircraft,
the XC-l42A vertical and short takeoff and landing aircraft, the YF-1 2A advanced, long-
range interceptor, the RF-4C reconnaissance version of the F-4, and the giant C-5A
transport. Further development of the C-130 included the beetle-nosed HC-13OH.
modified and fitted for extensive avionics equipment and a rescue and recovery
subsystem. Designed for military rescue operations, the HC-13OH was also used for
recovery of crews and hardware from returning National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) space flights.
During the Vietnam War, ASD set up a special division called Limited War/Special Air
Warfare to respond to the special requirements dictated by the conflict. Part of this
concept was “Project 1559” which provided a means for rapidly evaluating new hardware
ideas to determine their usefulness for conducting limited war. In addition to the AC-47
and AC-130 Spectre gunships, support systems included a highly mobile tactical air
control system, disposable parachutes, intrusion alarms for air base defense, and a
grenade launcher for the AR-15 rifle.
Flight testing under the Deputy for Flight Test continued to focus on all-weather testing
and related issues. One particularly impressive program was called Rough Rider which
placed special instruments on board an F-IOOF and a T-33A aircraft in order to record the
intensity of lightning strikes. Other aircraft were used to measure wind gusts, hail mass,
rain erosion, and ice formation. In support of Vietnam War requirements, the Adverse
Weather Section conducted an evaluation of chemical rain repellents for fighter aircraft
and discovered that varieties of repellant applied to cockpit windshields on the ground
prior to the flight had a long life and could last several hours, even days.
Lightning sMkes the wings of an F-1OOF aircraft during Project Rough Rider.
D uring the 1970s and 198Os, ASD

underwent a number of internal ASD Produces
reorganizations, as well as changes in weapon
system management and philosophy to World-Class
improve the development and acquisition of
advanced aeronautical systems. In 197 1, Aircraft
ASD’s Directorate of Flight Test became the
4950th Test Wing. Later, in 1974 and 1975,
a further reorganizational effort called HAVE
CAR assigned additional resources and responsibilities to the Test Wing. In addition, the
laboratories were consolidated as the Air Force Wright Aeronautical Laboratories
(AFWAL). Concerned with the rising costs of military procurement, the Department of
Defense abandoned the concept of buying a weapon system as a complete, finished
package, and reorganized the
acquisition cycle into five phases:
conceptual, validation,
development, production, and
deployment. This approach gave
the Air Force more flexibility by
providing an oversight system for
review and evaluation after each
phase.
Under the leadership of Lt
The F-f5A
F-15A Eagle set eight world,
w&d, time-to-climb records in 1975. Cien James T. Stewart, ASD’s
tradition of producing world-class
I
aircraft continued with the
development of two premiere
fighters. In 1972, the F-15 Eagle
made its first flight. It was
designed to outperform and outfight
any current or projected enemy
aircraft and to penetrate enemy
defenses. The F-15A set eight
world, time-to-climb records in
1975, including a climb to 65,616
feet in 2 minutes, 2.94 seconds.
The F-15 has since been modified
into the F-15C. an enhanced Multi-Staged Improvement Program model; and the F-1 5E.
designed to be a dual-mission fighter for both air-to-air and air-to-ground interdiction.
Starting in 1974, the General Dynamics YF-16 and Northrop YF-I 7 lightweight fighter
prototypes competed in a flyoff with General Dynamics winning the contract. The F-16
was a compact, multi-role aircraft whose maneuverable design proved effective in air-to-
air and air-to-surface attack. It provided a low cost, high performance aircraft for the U.S.
Air Force as well as air forces of several allied nations. The F-16 used the fly-by-wire
control system, also known as the survivable flight control system. In these systems, all
the aircraft controls were electric, with electrical signals directing the control surfaces in
all three axes, thereby eliminating the need for mechanical operation of the control
systems. Fly-by-wire improved the reliability and maintainability of the aircraft by
allowing the pilot to pay less attention to aircraft controls and more attention to the
mission. Other aerospace vehicles employing fly-by-wire technology were the B-l B and
the Space Shuttle, and later the B-2, F-l 17, and C-17.
Lt CienJarnesT. Stewart
On 1 June 1970, Stewart became commander of the Aeronautical
Systems Division (ASD), Wright-Patterson Air Force Bese, Ohio, ASD’s
first three-star general. As commander, General Stewart brought his
management and leadership ski//s to bear on three broad fronts: systems
acquisition, pmgren~s to improve the quality and more/e of ASD’s work
force, and organizational change. Generel Stewart played a key role in the
successful management of programs for the F-15 air superiority tighter,
the 51A supersonic stretegic bomber, the F-16 air combat fighter, the A-
10 close air support aircreff, the AGM-69 short range attack missile
(SRAM), the AGM-66 Maverick air-to-surface missile. and the F-SE
international fighter. He also oversew the development of the Advanced
Medium Short Take-off and Landing Transport (AMST) prototype, remotely
piloted vehicles, and electronic warfare systems.
General Stewart wss en important advocate in reintroducing ad-
vanced prototyping (“fly betin, buy”) to systems acquisition, end he
established a Prototype Pmgrsm Office at ASD to menage such programs
es the Lightweight Fighter, the A-10, and the Advanced Short Take-off and
Landing (STOL) transport. In 1973, he also gave approval for establishing a
Simulator Systems Program 015~ (SPO), thereby consolidaffng the
management of ASD’s airweft ground simulator development and acquisition programs. Another
important organizational change during his tenure included the establishment of the 4966th Test Wing
from elements of ASD’s Flight Test Directorate and its reorganization in 1975 under Project HAVE CAR.
General Stewart knew that nothing worthwhile could be accomplished without good people, end
perhaps his greatest contribution to ASD was in m-engineering its management and boosting work force
morale. He got the rightpeople into the right positions, by transfer, promotion, or hiring off the street, and
initiated programs to recruit young engineers from colleges and universities ecross the nation. He
worked hard to make the men and women of ASD pmud of themselves and their workplace end initiated e
far-reaching facelift of the ASD physicei plant. in 1971, he inaugurated the annual Stewart Open golf
tournament at Wright-Patterson, to promote goodwitl and charity contributions on behalf of the Air Force
Museum Foundation, inc.. and the Air Force Association Wright B Flyer Fond.
Generel Stewart retired on 31 August 1976, one of the most respected and admired commanders in
ASD history. The Air. Force subsequently conferred on him the Eugene M. Zuckert Award, its
highest management honor. General Stewari died on 3 September 1990.
Other systems developed in the 1970s included the B-IA, the A-IO, the Maverick
missile, the Short Range Attack Missile @RAM), and the Air Launched Cruise Missile
(ALCM). Conceived in the 1960’s under the Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft studies,
the B-IA multi-role, long-range strategic bomber emerged in 1974. Although the
production program was canceled in 1977 with only four test aircraft built, it was
reinstated in 1981. The B-1 8, an updated and modernized version, was produced and
fielded in the mid-1980’s. introduced in 1974, the A-IO Thunderbolt 11provided the Air
Force with the capability of destroying heavily armored and mechanized equipment. The
A-10 was outfitted with the GAUSA 30mm Ciatling gun for destroying tanks and other
The Boeing AGM-86A Air-launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) was carried

and launched from a 8.52.
59
Using a TV-guided seeker, the AGM-

65A Maverick was a highly accurate,
tactical air-to-surface missile, initially
fielded in 1973. Along with the optically
improved B model, the Air Force
accepted over 20,000 of these missiles
for its F-4, A-7D, F-l 11, A-10, and F-16
aircraft. The AQM-GSA SKAM, despite
propulsion and integration problems,
reached operational status on the
FB-I 1 lA, and the B-52 Ci and H in 1972.
The AGM-86B ALCM was developed by
ASD and carded aboard B-52 strategic bombers in the 1980s and 1990s.
During the mid-1970s. the Wright Field laboratories began technology studies to
support the development of the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF). ATF development
benefited from such laboratory programs as the Advanced Fighter Technology lntegration
(AFTI)/F-1 11 Mission Adaptive Wing, the AFT1 F-16, the Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL)
F-15 Maneuver Technology Demonstrator, the X-29 Advanced Technology Demonstrator,
the Ultra-Reliable Radar, and the development of advanced composite materials, among
othc:r Prw an3s.
60
Meanwhile, the 4950th Test Wing

added the Advanced Range
Instrumentation Aircraft (ARIA) to its
flight test mission. Evolving from
Project TRAP (Terminal Radiation
Airborne Measurement Program), and
the NASA-sponsored Apollo Range
Instrumentation Aircraft program, the
ARIA program, started in 1975,
provided a high-speed, highly
instrumented aircraft to acquire,
track, and record signals from both launching and returning orbital vehicles, and ballistic
missiles. Tracking cruise missiles was added to the mission in 1985. Also in the
197Os, the Test Wing supported the Airborne Laser Laboratory program. Lasting 10
years, the program proved the feasibility of using an airborne laser weapon to engage
airborne targets.
61
Decade of A t the start of 1980, ASD already had

several broadly-based acquisition
Stealth deputates that contained a number of related

technical programs. Faced with manning and funding
Technology restraints, as well as maturing programs, the ASD

Commander, Lt Cien Lawrence A. Skantze.
disestablished the Deputy for Systems and realigned
its programs into mission-area deputates for Strategic
Systems, Tactical Systems, Reconnaissance and
Electronic Warfare Systems, and Airlift and Trainer Systems. As organized earlier in the
196Os, Engineering support was controlled by a central office with engineers “matrixed”
to specific programs. The larger programs were organized as SPOs. The 4950th Test
Wing continued to conduct flight testing. AFWAL was assigned to ASD in 1982, and in
1988, was reorganized as the Wright Research and Development Center (WRDC).
In the mid-1980s, ASD introduced Total Quality Management principles into its
management operations. Challenged by private industry, ASD strove to instill a quality
culture, both in attitude and process into systems acquisition. The concept focused on
identifying and communicating with customers in an effort to better meet their needs.
ASD’s efforts were recognized in 1991 with the Quality Improvement Prototype Award
from the Federal Quality Institute.
During the 1980s. ASD modernized
the tactical force. Under a multinational
staged improvement program, the F-16
was upgraded with advanced avionics and
capability for both the Advanced Medium
Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), and
the Low-Altitude Navigation and Targeting
Infrared System for Night (LANTIRN). a
system that would allow pilots to attack
tactical targets in darkness. Under the
same program, the F-15 also was
An F-15 releases an AMRAAM
upgraded with advanced avionics and the
AMKAAM. While retaining its air superiority features, the new F-15E dual role fighter
version also could perform night-in-weather, deep interdiction, and air-to-surface
missions. It also had a fully mission-responsive cockpit, advanced radar, and LANTIKN.
.b
62
As part of the defense buildup. the

1980s saw the introduction of low-
observable “stealth” technology in
operational aircraft. Research and
development on stealth systems
began at ASD in the 1970s. Although
the Air Force first flew the top secret
F-l 17A Nighthawk in 1981, it kept
information on this revolutionary
technological advancement under
wraps for many years. As time passed
rumors of its existence grew more
credible and the Air Force finally
acknowledged its existence in 1988,
but not until a generation of stealthy
weapon systems was well under
development. It was designed to
penetrate dense threat environments
and attack high-value targets with
pinpoint accuracy. In 1989, the B-2, a
multi-role bomber capable of
delivering both nuclear and
conventional munitions and attacking
fixed and mobile targets also
employed stealth technology.
The 1980s also saw the
establishment of a joint program office
for the National Aero-Space Plane
(NASP). Designated the X-30A. the
NASP was designed to take off like a
conventional aircraft, ascend directly
into orbit, perform its mission, and
return to land on existing runways.
The NASP program ajmed at developing hyper-sonic flight

fechnologies for a new generilfion of aemspacecraff
63
The Air Force Wright Aeronautical Laboratories continued to advance weapon system
capabilities through science and technological innovation. The Avionics and Materials
Laboratories focused on VHSIC, the application of very high speed integrated circuits that
would allow advanced avionics architectures to integrate many aircraft subsystems such
as weapons delivery, flight controls, and communications into smaller, more reliable
subsystems. The Avionics and Flight Dynamics Laboratories coordinated research on an
“allglass” cockpit of the future that would allow a pilot, through voice activation, to mix or
“enhance” data presented in picture-like symbols on one large TV-like screen.
During the early 1980% the 4950th Test Wing bought and modified Boeing 707s
from American Airlines to use as improved EC-18s for its ARIA mission. With the EC-18,
the crews would use a Sonobouy Missile Impact Location System (SMILS) to track and
score the impact of re-entry vehicles. Other flight test programs included the Mark XV
Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), a tri-service and NATO project to develop a new system
to identify friendly aircraft: the El Tail Warning Capability, a system to detect airborne
threats approaching from the rear of the aircraft; the development of the Electronic
Counter-countermeasures (ECCM)/Advanced Radar Test Bed (ARTB), a system capable of
evaluating airborne fire-control radars and sensors in an ECCM environment: and M&star,
a high-priority program to develop the nation’s next generation military satellite
communications system.
64
I n 1989 the global challenges and
security concerns facing the United
Meeting
States began to change rapidly. With the fall
of the Berlin Wall, the reunification of
Uncertainty:
Germany, and the (mostly) peaceful dis-
mantling of the Soviet Union, the world
The Post
emerged from the Cold War. Almost over-
night, the old certainties that had governed
Cold War
American defense policy and operations were
swept away to be replaced by new, more
Period
complex and uncertain challenges. With the immediate threat to national survival
lessened, the 1990s saw a precipitous decline in the U. S. defense budget. At the same
time, the U. S. was increasingly called upon to take actions outside of the regions which
had usually been the focus of major military operations - Europe and the Pacific.
The first such challenge arose within a year, as Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990.
The U.S. response, in Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM, exemplified the
new security environment. Massive American ground, sea, and air forces were
transported to the Persian Gulf. The operation to liberate Kuwait took place under the
authority of United Nations resolutions supported by Cold War adversaries like Russia and
China, and coalition forces included contributions from former Warsaw Pact nations like
Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland. Joint-service operations swiftly achieved an
overwhelming victory with low casualties among coalition forces in large measure due to
the application of air power, enhanced by stealth and precision-guided weapons.
Geopolitical realities also dictated that the U. S. could not simply withdraw from the
region at the end of hostilities. Instead, the enforcement of U. N. resolutions, the
continued protection of friendly states in the region, and the effort to eradicate Iraq’s
weapons of mass destruction required a protracted deployment of air power to Persian
Gulf region. Through the 1990s other “hot spots” all over the globe demanded the
deployment of air power, as the U. S. supported peacekeeping efforts in the Balkans,
evacuated U. S. and other nationals from strife-torn countries in Africa, participated in the
restoration of democratic government in Haiti, and flew humanitarian relief missions to
almost every continent. To a greater degree than ever before, the Air Force was being
called upon to demonstrate Global Reach and Global Power, while simultaneously
reducing its force structure.
To meet the requirements of this new, uncertain age, the U. S. Air Force conducted a
series of reevaluations of its roles. missions, and competencies. By the end of the
decade, the Air Force leadership had shaped a vision of Global Engagement based on six
Core Competencies: (1) Air and Space Superiority, (2) Global Attack, (3) Rapid Global
Mobility, (4) Precision Engagement, (5) Information Superiority, and (6) Agile Combat
support.
65
As it developed this new vision, the Air Force reorganized its research, development,
procurement, and sustainment structure. In 1992 the Air Force Logistics Command and
the Air Force Systems Command merged to form the Air Force Materiel Command
(AFMC). AFMC became responsible for the full spectrum of activities necessary to
provide systems to the warfighter and to support them from “cradle to grave.” With the
creation of AFMC, the Aeronautical Systems Division became the Aeronautical Systems
Center (AX), acquiring the 2750th (now 88th) Air Base Wing and the Wright-Patterson
Medical Center (now the 74th Medical Group) as subordinate units. Over the decade ASC
experienced other changes to its assigned units. In 1994 the 4950th Test Wing
inactivated, ending a SO-year tradition of flight test at Wright-Patterson APB. In 1997 the
Wright Laboratory, part of ASC since 1982, became part of the new Air Force Research
Laboratory, while in 1998 armament program offices located at F.glin AFB, Florida, were
reassigned to the new Air Armament Center. At the same time in 1998, the Human
Systems Center at Brooks AFB became the 3 1 1 th Human Systems Wing and was
assigned to ASC. Through all of these changes the Aeronautical Systems Center (AX)
retained its leading role in the acquisition of new systems and the upgrade and
modification of existing systems to support the Air Force’s Core Competencies into the
2 1 st Century.
Global Attack and Precision Engagement

The Post-Cold War period presented the Air Force with a tough challenge: Be prepared
to engage anywhere in the world, using both lethal and non-lethal means, to deter
potential threats and to apply responsive combat power. During the Cold War the Air
Force could rely on a network of overseas bases, but the 1990s saw major reductions in
forces permanently based overseas. Increasingly, assets for these missions would be
based in the continental United States, requiring the ability to deploy and, if necessary, to
strike swiftly with superior forces.
This change, combined with a continued requirement for nuclear deterrence, drove
the continued acquisition and upgrade of long-range bomber forces. Under AX’s
management, the ElB, designed in the 1970s and built in the 1980s as a deterrent to
nuclear attack on the U.S., was transformed in
the 1990s into a conventional weapons
platform, flying its last nuclear training mission
in 1997. That same year a B-l B demonstrated
the employment of the CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed
Weapon, leading Air Combat Command’s
General Richard E. Hawley to comment “If you
want to kill armor, I can’t think of a better way to
do it than with a B-1 8.” The B-I B followed this
up in 1998 with a demonstration of the Joint
66
Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), which was also part of the long-term B-1 B Conventional
Munition Upgrade Program (CMUP). B-1 Bs participated in an Air Expeditionary Force to be
deployed for a real crisis (versus training deployments) in 1997. That crisis in the
Persian Gulf was resolved peacefully for a time, but on I7 December 1998 the B-IB
entered combat for the first time in the Operation DESERT FOX strikes on Iraq.
With the end of the Cold War, the U. S. scaled
back acquisition of the B-2 “Spirit” from 132
programmed aircraft to 2 1. Like the
B-18, the stealthy B-2 also received upgrades to
increase its capabilities in conventional warfare.
In recognition of its efforts, the B-2 acquisition
team received the Air Force Association’s
prestigious Theodore van Karman award for
1994. The B-2 reached Initial Operational
Capability (IOC) on 1 April 1997, and showcased
its capabilities in several demonstrations. In B-2 spirit.
July 1997 a B-2 flying from its home at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, set a record with a 27.6
hour, 15,000-mile flight, showing its ability to strike anywhere on the globe, while other
exercises demonstrated the forward deployment of the system. Upgrades to bring all 21
aircraft to the Block 30 configuration, scheduled for completion by the year 2000, also
gave the B-2 the capability to employ precision weapons like the JDAM and the Joint
Stand Off Weapon (JSOW). 8-2s saw their first combat operations when NATO forces
struck Yugoslavia in March 1999.
The F-l 17A “Nighthawk” graphically demonstrated the value of stealth and precision
guided munitions in the 1991 Gulf War.
Procured by the Aeronautical Systems
Division between 1982 and 1990, the
aircraft’s existence was not publicly
acknowledged until 1988. The
F-l 17As were the only manned aircraft to
attack heavily-defended targets in Baghdad.
Indeed, while flying only 2% of the strike
sorties, F- 1 17s were used against 40% of all
the strategic targets. During the 1990s.
An F-l 17 Nighthawk lands a Aviano AE, Italy dudng ASC’s F-l 17 Development System Office
deployment to soppoti NATO operations. 1999.
(now the F-l 17 System Program Office),
managed a series of upgrades and improvements to the system. Having previously led
the way in innovative acquisition management techniques, in 1998 the F-l 17 program
pioneered new concepts in sustainment with the Total System Performance
Responsibility contract awarded to Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. F-l 17As participated
67
in Operation DESERT FOX in

“Our ability to dominate the air battle has enabled every
December 1998. and deployed to modem military success, from the Normandy inva.sion in
Aviano AB, Italy early in 1999 with World War/l to the daring ‘Left Hook’ of Desert Storm.”
Air Expeditionary Forces supporting -GM. Richard E. Hawley,
Commander,Air Combat Command
NATO operations in the Balkans.
No American soldier, sailor, or L
marine has been forced to fight while under air attack since the Korean War. In the 2 1st
Century, the Air Force will be seeking to continue this record and to establish Air
Dominance at the outset of any conflict. Air Dominance will not only protect American
surface forces from enemy air attack, but will
force opponents to fight blind. To achieve Air
Dominance in the 21st Century, ASC has
developed the F-22 “Raptor,” which will replace
the F-15 as the Air Force’s premier fighter
aircraft. ASC began the Advanced Tactical
Fighter program in I98 1, leading to the creation
and testing of two competitive prototypes. In
1991 the Secretary of the Air Force announced
the selection of the
F-22, which combines the advantages of
maneuverable stealth, supersonic cruise without
afterburners, and an unprecedented integration
of advanced avionics and weapons. The product
of exhaustive Engineering and Manufacturing
Development, the first F-22 took to the air in
September 1997. The Air Force awarded
contracts for two Production Representative Test
Vehicles in 1998, and the F-22 will enter service
Boenig X-32, Air Force version, Artist’s Conception
in the first decade of the 21st Century. Through
its Air Combat System Program Office, ASC also
supports development of the Joint Strike Fighter
(JSF), scheduled to enter service with the U. S.
Air Force, Navy, and Marines in 2008. In 1996
the Department of Defense selected contractor
teams led by the Boeing Company and Lockheed
Martin Corporation to build two flying concept
demonstrator aircraft each. In 2001 the U. S.
government will select one of the two concepts,
designated the X-32 and the X-35 respectively.
68
I
Despite the efforts to modernize equipment through new combat aircraft (the B-Z, the
F-22, and the JSF), the Air Force also faced an unprecedented aging of existing weapon
systems. Budgetary constraints, national security demands, and lengthened
procurement cycles all dictated that systems in the USAF inventory would serve longer
than ever before in history. The B-52, conceived in the 1940s and last produced in
1962, would be active beyond the turn of the century. The F-15 and the F-16, whose
basic designs went back to the 1960s and the early 1970s respectively, were expected
to remain in use until 2020, if not longer. To remain viable as combat aircraft in the face
of new technologies and new threats, both aircraft progressed through numerous
upgrades to expand their capabilities. In addition to managing the research,
development, and acquisition of these upgrades, AX also managed the acquisition of
new aircraft of both types to serve as attrition reserves. The F-15 demonstrated its
formidable capabilities in the Gulf War when USAF and Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s shot
down more than 87% of the Iraqi aircraft destroyed in aerial combat. Iraqi aircraft
downed included some of the most modern fighters in the world, produced by both the
Soviet Union and France. ASC supported that effort with a rapid test program to address
the problem of “sandblasting” of F-15 cockpit canopies in the harsh desert environment.
Since that time, upgrades to software, avionics, and weapons interfaces have been too
numerous to mention in detail. Among these was the Rapid Targeting Capability
integrated into F-15E cockpits, which allows the F-15E to receive video or still images
from reconnaissance platforms like the Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, the U-2, or
the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS). The system can then
transpose the images over a satellite photo and match them in real time to provide
precise coordinates for mobile targets on the ground. The system was fielded in 1996
to aircraft supporting U. S. operations in the Balkans. Similarly, ASC’s F-16 System
Program Office managed the continuous upgrade of the F-16, as ever-more-capable
aircraft replaced earlier models in the USAF inventory. While long-term projects like the
F-16 Mid-Life Upgrade Program extended over many years, ASC also responded to
immediate requirements from the operational commands. Thus in 1996 the F-16 SPO
used a streamlined acquisition process to develop and deliver the “Sure Strike” precision
targeting system to selected F-16s supporting the NATO Implementation Force in Bosnia.
An “acquisition surge” response provided a retrofit to make cockpits and external lighting
of 43 Block 40 F-16s at Aviano AB, Italy, compatible with Night Vision Goggles, again for
service over Bosnia.
69
Balkan proximity peace talks

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base took center
stage es a forum for world peace on October 18,
1995, when Secmtery of State Warren Christopher
announced that the base would host peace talks
behvee” the warring parties I” the Balkans conflict.
The base was selected due to its excellent airfield,
convenient a/r connections, privacy, security, and
/ogistica/ support. Its main adventege wes the close
proximity of the Hope Hotel and conference facilities
to the Visiting Ohicers Quarters that gave the State
Department a diplomatic compound with separate but
identical facilities for each delegation.
Lt. Gen.Lawrence P. Farrell. Jr. the AFMC vice
commander, directed Wright-Patterson’s support
operations with the assistance of a base support
teem drawn primarily from the 88th Air Base Wing. The teem faced e challenging series of teske and only
ten days in which to accomplish them. Military end civilian perronn~~ecmss the base, reservists, and the
Dayton community immediately pitched In to make the talks e success
Civil engineers constructed e secure “base w/thin the bese” to house the peace talks complex They
prepared the VOQs and converted 24 rooms into 12 presidential suites that met State Depertn?e”t
spech9cations for size, decor, and amenities. They even hrsteiled the “Peece Walk,” e lighted, meendertng
sidewalk, so delegates could walk from their quarters to the Hope Hotel’s meeting rooms and dining area
Base operations supervised airspace control, diplomatic anivals and depeftums, and support of
presidential aircraft. Logisticians filled supply requests, moved equipment, handled diplomatic cargo,
operated a dedicated fleet of vehicles with a force of volunteers. The 47th Aidift Flight established e”
Alpha Alert commitment with its C-21 alrcreft from November l-28 and launched six sortlee during the
talks.
Communicattons technicians installed telephone and computer networks;set up databases, and
managed air frequencies. The ASC Multimedia Center generated graphics, publications, printing, and
designed the peace talks logo.
Base officials also deelt with many other tasks. They arranged for food senrice, attended to the
religious needs of the delegates, and provided security. Finance end contracting specialists acquired
goods and services. Public affeirs operated e media center where 571 journalists received eccreditetion
and 470 press representatives from 166 organizations and twenty nations wem supported during peek
operations. Protocol d&es ranged from pmpetfng welcome peckegee b hosting dlplomatc events and
setthrg up bilateral and triiaterei meetings. The Dayton community also lent its support One of ii% meet
recognized contributions was the “Peace Watt” In the Hope Hotel. The well wee filled with letters and
drawings from Dayton-area school children encouraging the delegates to bring peace to their troubled
lands.
The Balkan Pmx/mity Peace Talks began November 1.1995. Ambassador Richard C. Holbmoke
hosted the talks. The major perticipents were Presktent Al@ lzetbegovic, Republic of Bosnia-
Herzegovina; President Slobodan Milosevic, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; President Frenjo Tudjman,
Republic of Croatia. The Eurvpeen Union, Republic of France, Federei Republic of Germany, Russia, and
United Kingdom also facilitated the negotiations. Their goal wes to pmserve Bosnia es e single stete
containing Ihe Muslim-Croat Federetion and a Bosnia” Serb entity; msotve boundary issues between the
Bosnia”-Cmet Federation and the Bosnia” Serb entity; settle the status of Serejevo; and set forth steps to
separate the brces, end hostilities, and return refugees to their homes. Ea timism feded es border
disputes bogged the negotiations. At the last moment, diplomats
broke the deadlock end saved the talks. On November 21, 1995
the delegates gathered in the Hope Hotel where they signed the
General Framework Agreement for Peace In Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
Wright-Patterson received many honors for its work. The
highest honor cane from Secretary of State Warren Christopher
who wrote the 88th Air Base Wing commander:
The hard work, superiorpetfommnce and cheerful enthusi-
asm which you end your colleagues brought to this effort were key
elements in the successful conclusion of the Talks.
L
I’ ”
Rapid Global Mobility

“The C-l 7 saved our bacon in Bosnia.”
For Rapid Mobility, the “success story” of I
the decade was the acquisition of the C- 17 - Gen. Dennis Reimer, U. S. Army Chief of Staff,
to the Congressional Airpower Caucus, 1997.
“Globemaster III.” Stemming from the earliest
concept development work for a “C-X” aircraft,
the C-17 entered Full Scale Engineering Development in the
1980s. The aircraft made its first flight in I99 1 and the first
production model was delivered in 1993. In January 1995
Air Mobility Command declared Initial Operational Capability
for the first C-l 7 squadron. Within this same period,
however, rising costs, manufacturing difficulties, and
schedule delays led the DOD to place the program “on
probation,” with the possibility of capping it at 40 aircraft.
Through ASC’s C- 17 System Program Office, the Air Force
worked in partnership with the contractor to turn the program
around over the next several years, culminating in a
commitment to acquire a total of 120 aircraft. As a result,
the Air Force obtained Congressional approval to complete
this acquisition under the largest Multi-Year Procurement Exe&k CENTdnZBA T ‘97.
contract ever signed, bringing substantial savings to the government. The program
likewise responded to the changing environment for long-term support of aircraft systems
by developing an innovative Flexible Sustainment contract with the Boeing Company. In
obtaining Congressional approval for these actions, the Air Force could point to a record
of accomplishments for the C-17. C-17 aircraft aided the deployment of U. S.
peacekeeping forces to the Balkans and flew relief supplies to the region in the wake of
war. C-17s transported the President of the United States and other senior leaders to the
region, since the limited airfield facilities were inadequate to receive their usual VIP
transports. The C-17 SPO also demonstrated its “quick reaction” capabilities to provide
removable crew armor for protection against small-arms fire and defensive systems
against infrared surface-to-air missiles. In 1997 C- 17s participated in the longest
paratrooper airdrop ever undertaken, transporting U. S. Army paratroopers non-stop from
Pope APB, North Carolina, to a drop zone in Kazakhstan during Exercise CENTKAZBAT
‘97. The aircraft also supported numerous refugee evacuation and humanitarian relief
operations. Its heavy lift and short-field capabilities made it the only
aircraft capable of transporting the ultimate in outsized cargo -
moving the movie-star killer whale “Keiko” from an aquarium in
Oregon to Iceland for eventual release into his home waters. I
Recognition for the accomplish-ments of the C-17 program came ’
with the award of the Collier Trophy for 1994 and the 1998
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
7,
ASC personnel also procured other cargo

aircraft for the Rapid Global Mobility mission
durina the 1990s. In Februarv 1993 the Air
and Congressional delegations. Both efforts June 1988.
featured streamlined processes which earned the acquisition team the Vice President’s
Hammer Award “for significantly reinventing the way the Air Force acquires aircraft.”
innovative acquisition techniques also marked the procurement of the first C-38A
aircraft, destined to replace the C-2 1.
Information Superiority
The 1990s witnessed an explosive growth
in information technologies for both military
and commercial applications. ASC contributed
to the Air Force’s Core Compentency in
Information Superiority through programs to
develop, procure, land sustain reconnaissance
aircraft systems, as well as through efforts to
ensure that combat and mobility aircraft could
receive and use information gathered by
sensors operating all across the aerospace
spectrum. Advances in information processing
and miniaturization opened the door to
promising advances in the employment of
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). ASC
became wholly responsible for the research,
development, and acquisition of two UAV
programs: the medium-altitude Predator and
the High Altitude Endurance (HAE.) programs. Both had begun as Advanced Concept
Technology Demonstration programs under the sponsorship of the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency. In the case of the Predator system, however, operational
employment of the demonstrator vehicles in Bosnia had proven so successful that at the
conclusion of the demonstration program the system was transitioned into regular
operational use. The HAE UAV demonstration produced two air vehicle designs: the Low
Observable Tier III Minus “DarkStar” and the conventional Tier II Plus “Global Hawk”
r
vehicles. Under the HAE program, a common

Ground Segment could control either vehicle. Both
air vehicles flew successfully, although the first
“DarkStar” vehicle was destroyed on its second flight
in 1996. In January 1999 the Department of
Defense directed termination of the “DarkStar” in
order to concentrate resources on the “Global
Hawk.” As with the combat aircraft, ASC also faced
the challenge of keeping aging reconnaissance
platforms flyable and technologically viable. ASC’s Reconnaissance System Program
Office managed upgrades to multiple manned reconnaissance aircraft programs, among
them the U-2 “Dragon Lady”, which received the Collier Trophy in 1999 after four
decades of service.
Information superiority included not only the gathering of information through
reconnaissance, but also the use of technologies to process data and to support the
development of new weapons systems through modeling and simulation. In May 1997
AX officially opened its Major Shared Resource Center (MSRC), one of four High
Performance Computing facilities within DOD. The MSRC supported some 50 DOD
science and technology laboratories and some 20 developmental test and evaluation
facilities. In addition, ASC began work on a new Simulation and Analysis Facility (SIMAF).
Training Systems for Air Force People

The Air Force has long recognized that well-trained people are critical to its
operations. To support that need, ASC also procures a wide variety of training systems,
including aircraft trainers for flight training, and
ground-based weapon system and
maintenance trainers for specific systems.
During the 1990s ASC managed the
acquisition of three new trainer aircraft. In
1990 the Air Force contracted for the first lot
of T-1A “Jayhawk” trainers, the first new
/
training aircraft procured by the Air Force in
30 years. The T-IA serves as an advanced
T-I Jayhawk. trainer for airlift and tanker aircraft pilots.
Between 1994 and 1996 the Air Force also accepted 1 13 T-3A “Firefly” aircraft for use
in its enhanced flight screening program. In June 1995 the Air Force announced the
selection of the Beech Mk II aircraft for the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS)
program. The first production JPATS aircraft, now designated the T-6A “Texan II,” made
its first flight on 15 July 1998. To meet both Air Force and Navy requirements 740
aircraft will be produced through the year 2014, along with the accompanying JPATS
73
/
Ground Based Training System. AX also shared management with San

Antonio Air logistics Center’s T-38 System Program Directorate for major
upgrades to 509 USAF and NATO T-38 “Talons.” The Air Force plans to
extend the life of the supersonic jet trainers - procured between 196 1
and 1972 - to 2040. The first T-38C with the upgraded avionics suite
took to the air in July 1998
Reduced aircraft inventories, tight budgets, and restricted airspace
for training put a new premium on training through simulators, while
advancing computer technology allowed the creation of simulators with
unprecedented fidelity. In addition to procuring flight and maintenance
simulators for individual weapon systems, ASC also served as focal point
for the new Distributed Mission Training (DMT) initiative. Begun in the
late 199Os, DMT was intended to
revolutionize air and space team
veliica during
JPATS source
training by networking geographically-
selection. dispersed aircraft simulators into a
synthetic environment. While Air Force operations
increasingly demanded effective integration of
reconnaissance, tanker, fighter, bomber, and other
support aircraft, fiscal constraints limited the ability of ~,
First flight of T-38C under 738 *vh.mics Upgrade
the Air Force to conduct actual mission training with Program, ,998.
large numbers of aircraft. While
simulators could not replace flying time
altogether, through Distributed Mission
Training the Air Force could move closer
to its goal to “train as we fight.”
A Focus on the Future

Innovation is the exploration of new
ideas, the invention of new technologies
and techniques; it is pushing the
envelope and exploring the frontier. In a
time of uncertainty the Aeronautical
Systems Center, capitalizing on its own
proven history of technological innovation, has remained steadfast in its commitment to
meet these challenges and to lead the rev olution in defense acquisition into the Zlst
Century.
74
r‘
ACHIEVEMENTS IN AERONAUTICAL EXCELLENCE

MAJORAWARD WINNERS from
AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS CENTER
AND PREDECESSORORGANIZATIONS
The Aeronautical Systems Center traces its history back to 1917 and the Aircraft
Qqineering Division, Aviation Section, Army Signal Corps, located at McCook Field
ust north of downtown Dayton, Ohio. The passing years have brought a location
:hange (i.e., the move from McCook to Wright Field in 1927) and numerous reorgani-
rations and redesignations.
In the midst of change, however, ASC’s mission has remained constant: research,
development and acquisition of aeronautical systems for the nation’s Ah Force. The
nilitary and civilian employees of ASC and predecessor organizations have set and
aahrtained the hiiest standards through two world wars and numerous additional
zonflicts and operations. Throughout the years, our people have earned the highest
espect of the world’s aviation community and have been awarded numerous profes
pionai awards. The foiiowlng awards recognize just a few of our people and their
achievements that have garnered international acclaim throughout the Century of
Airpower.
75
76
H.H.ARNOLDAWARD
The Air Force Association’s H. H. Arnold award is

presented in honor of the father of the modem U. S.
Air Force. General Hemy H. “Hap” Arnold learned to
fly in 1911 at the Wright School of Aviation operated
on Huffman Prairie by Orville and Wilbur Wright.
Arnold returned to Dayton several times as he rose
through the ranks of Army aviation, ultimately serving
as Commanding General of the Army Air Force during
World War II. General Amold led the fight for an
independent Air Force in the post-war era and be-
came its 6rst Chief of Staff in 1948. He was also the Air Force’s only fivestar
general. The H. H. Arnold Award, from its inception in 1948 until 1985, was
presented by the Ah’ Force Association in recognition of outstanding contribu-
tions in the field of aerospace activity. Since 1986 it has been the Ah Force
Association’s highest honor awarded to a member of the armed forces in the
field of national security. Each recipient receives a plaque etched in white
metal mounted on blue velour and presented in an ebony frame.
1988 - Men & Women of the Ground

Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) Team
77
ASCAWARD WINNERS
ROBERTJ.COLLIERTROPHY
The most prestigious award in American aviation was estab-
lished by Robert J. Collier, a prominent American publisher and
aviator who was the first person to purchase an airplane from
the Wright brothers for personal use. The award, or-l&ally
known as the Aero Club of America Trophy, was first presented
in 1911 to Chenn Curtiss. After Collier died, the trophy was
renamed in his honor. The Collier Trophy ls awarded by the
National Aeronautic Association to recognize the “greatest
achievement in the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles.”
The presentation is frequently made by the President of the United States in a
White House ceremony. The bronze trophy, designed by sculptor Ernest Wise
Keyser, depicts man rising in triumph over gravity and other forcea of nature. The
original trophy weighs 525 pounds and ison permanent display at the National Air
and Space Museum, Washington D. C. The name of each winner is engraved on the
original and each honoree receives a small replica of the trophy.
1926 m E, L. Hoffman, Engineering Division, McCook Meld, for

development of the first practical parachute.
1934 Ma Albert F. Hegenberger, Materiel Division, Wright Meld,

for blind landing experimentation.
1937 The Army Ah Corps for de&n and equipment of the Brst substratosphere
airplane, the XG35.
1940 Dr Sanford Moss and the Army Air Corps for development of a practical
supercharger for aircraft engines.
1947 USAF Capt Charles E. Yeager, John Stack and Lawrence D. Bell for achieving
supersonic flight in the Bell XS-1.
1935 Cen Nathan F. Twining of the Ah Research and Development Command,

William M. Allen and Boeing Ahplane Co, for development and operational use of
the B-52.
78
and Qerhard Neumann (CE).
1961 USAF test pilots Mr+j Robert M. White, Joseph

A. Walker (NASA), A. Scott Crossiield (North Ameri-
can Aviation), and Cmdr. Forrest Petersen (US Navy) ,
for technological contributions and for great skill and
courage for the X-15 program.
1975 The F-16 Air Force/industry Team and David S. Lewis, General Dynamics
Corporation for significant advancements in aviation technology leading to innova-
tive Bghter aircraft effectiveness.
1976 US Air Force, Rockwell International Corporation, and the B-l Industry
Team for design, development, management, and flight test of the El.
1989 The Lockheed-Air Force Team for development of the

F-l 17A Stealth Fighter which changed the entire concept of
military aircraft design and combat deployment.
1991 USAF and industry team for development of the B-2 Stealth Bomber.
1994 C-17 System Program Offrce and industry team for development of the
C 17 Clobemaster.
1998 Lockheed Martin, General Electric, NASA, ACC

and DIA for designing manufacturing and operating
the U-ZS/ER-2 high altitude, ail-weather, mukifunc-
tional data collection aircraft.
79
ASC AWARD WINNERS

MACKAY TROPHY
The Mackay Trophy is the oldest award presented exclusively to flying offrc-
ers of the U. S. Air Force. Awarded annually by the National Aeronautic Associa-
tion, it recognizes “the most meritorious flight of the year” by an Air Force
person, persons, or organization. The award was created in 1912 by Clarence
H. Mackay, a prominent American industrialist, philanthropist, and aviation
enthusiast. The three-foot tall silver trophy rests on a mahogany base and
features four winged figures surrounding the cup, each holding a different
pusher-type biplane. Winners’ names are engraved onto silver shields affixed
to the base. The trophy is now on permanent display at the National Ah and
Space Museum in Washington, D. C. Each recipient of the Mackay Trophy re-
ceives an engraved gold medal to commemorate his achievement.
1921 Lt John A. Macready for establishing a world altitude

record of 34,509 feet flying a Fokker T-2.
1922 Lt John A. Macready and Lt Oakley a. Kelly for

world’s air endurance record, staying aloft for 36 hours, 4
minutes, and 32 seconds.
1923 Lt John A. Macready and Lt Oakley CL Kelly for the first continental non-
stop flight from New York to California at an average speed of 94 mph.
1925 Lt James H. Dooliffle for establishing a record of

232.573 miles an hour flying a seaplane in the Schneider
Cup Race.
80
1927 Lt Albert F. Hegenberger and Lt Lester J. Maitland for

demonstrating the utility of navigational aids by flying from
California to Hawaii, guided solely by radio directional beacons.
1937 Capt Qeorge V. Holloman and Capt Carl J. Crane for the
world’s first entirely automatic landing without any assistance
from the pilot or the ground crew.
1947 Capt Charles E. Yeager for the first supersonic flight

of the X3-1 at Muroc Army Air Field. The AAF’s X5-1 test
program was directed by the Air Materiel Commands Flight
Test Division at Wright Field.
1956 Capt lven C. Rincheloe, Jr.; for flying the Bell X-2 to an altitude consider-
ably higher than had ever been reached in a piloted aircraft. Capt Rincheloe was
assigned to the Air Research and Development Command, Wright Air Develop-
ment Center,Flight Test Division at ~Wright Field.
1965 YF-lZA/sR-7 1 ~Test Force. consisting of Co1 Robert I L 1

L. Stephens, Lt Co1 -Da&i Andre;~ Ma Noel T., Warner,
James P. Cooney, and Lt Co1 Walter F. Daniel for fliit in
the YF-1ZA that established nine new world speed and r
altitude records. The Bight test program was managed by the Aeronautical
*
Systems Division, Deputy for Fhght Test.
1987 Detachment 15. U. S. Air Force Pbmt Representative Office, and the BIB
System Program Offke for huo El3 flights that established seventy-two world
records and national speed, distance, and payload records. The B-18 program
was managed by the Aeronautical Systems Division.
Xl
DAEDALIANWEAPON SYSTEM AWARD

COLONELFRANKLINC.WOLFEMEMORIALTROPHY
The Order of Daedahans was founded in 1934 to honor
aviators who served in World War 1. The Daedaiian Founda-
tion now recognizes excellence in all areas of aviation with
numerous awards and scholarships. The Daedaiian Weapon
System Award, one of eighteen Daedalian Awards, was first
presented in 1970 by Colonel Franklin C. Wolfe, who
served as assistant chief and then chief of the Armament
Laboratory of the Army Air Forces Materiel Command at
Wright Field from 1939 until 1944. It is presented annu-
ally, in turn, to organizations in the Air Force, Army, and Navy for development
of the most outstanding weapon system operating, in whole or in part, in the
aerospace environment. The Daedaiian Weapon System Award is a large silver
cup featuring the emblem of the Order of Daedalians. The original Daedaiian
Trophy resides at Daedalian headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, and each
honoree receives a small replica copy.
1972 Aeronautical Systems Division, for development of the AGM-65 Maverick

missile.
1975 The F-15 System Program Office, Aeronautical Systems

Division.
1978 The F-16 System Program Office, Aeronautical Systems Division.
1981 Strategic Systems Program Office, Aeronautical Systems

Division, for management of the ALCM and E52 OAS/CMI
programs.
1984 B-1B System Program Office, Aeronautical Systems

Division
1987 LANTIRN System prosram Oftice, Aeronautical Systems

Division
1990 &2 Weapon System Team, Aeronautical Systems Division
x2
AX AWARD WINNERS
THEODORE VON KARMAN AWARD
The Theodore von Rarman Award is named for the re-
nowned Hungarian-American aerodynamacist and visionary
strategic planner, who, together with Gen Hemy H. “Hap”
Arnold, forged modem Air Force research and development.
In 1945 he completed two landmark studies, Where We
Stand and Toward New Horizons: Science, the Key to Air
Supremacy, in which he analyzed ailpower during the World
War II era, assessed current technology, and provided a roadmap for aerospace
development in the postwar era. The von Rarman Award is now presented
yearly by the Ah Force Association to honor the most outstanding contribution
to national defense in the field of science and engineering.
1971 Mr Fred D. Orazio, Sr., Scientific Director, Aeronautical Systems Division

for distinguished service in the field of aerospace science and engineering.
1982 Aeronautical Systems Division and its over 8,000 people for develop-
ment, test, and procurement of Air Force aircraft, simulators, and related sub-
systems.
1986 Lt Gen Thomas H. McMullen, USAF (Ret), for his leadership

as commander of the Aeronautical Systems Division.
1987 Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) F-16 pro-

gram for dramatically demonstrating new combat capabilities achievable
through a highly automated and integrated weapon system.
1990 &2 Test Team for test and evaluation of the R-2
design, validating 10 years of simulation and ground
testing.
1994 B-2 System Program Office, Oklahoma Air Logistics Center, &Z Com-
bined Test Force, Air Force Flight Test Center, Site Activation Task Force, and
the 6-2 Mission Planning System Development Office for management of the
B2 stealth bomber program, surpassing sustainability goats, and dramatically
improving production efficiency and schedules.
83
ASCAWARD WINNERS
EUGENEM.ZUCKERTMANAGEMENTAWARD
The Eugene M. Zuckert Management award is presented yearly to recognize
outstanding top-level Ah Force managers. The award is named after Eugene M.
Zuckert, who sewed as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force from 1947 until
1932 and Secretary of the Air Force from 1961 through 1965. Secretary
Zuckert was a staunch advocate of teaming between the military and civilian
workforce to capitalize on the military’s knowledge of war-fighting and the conti-
nuity provided by civilians. The Zuckert Management Award is a mahogany
plaque bearing the Air Force coat of amrs and individual silver plates with the
name of each winner. Recipients keep the award for one year until passing it
to the next winner. Honorees also receive a citation and 2-inch silver-plated
medallion bearing the Air Force seal.
1976 Lieutenant Cenerat James T. Stewart, Commander,

Aeronautical Systems Division
1989 Lieutenant Cienerat John M. Loh, Commander,

Aeronautical Systems Division
1991 Major Cenerai James A. Fain, Jr, Director,

Advanced Tactical Fighter System Program Office.
84

Wright-Patterson AFB History

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Aeronautical Systems Center

Mr. Henry Souther

Maj Henry Souther

1 1 August 19 17 - Majority of officers and civilians of Aircraft Engineering Division

27 August 1917 - Equipment Division reconstituted. Under new organizational

Lt Col Virginius E. Clark

Lt Co1 Jesse Ci. Vincent

Lt Col Jesse G. Vincent

Co1 Thurman H. Bane

1 Jan 1919 - Technical Division constituted by consolidating the Airplane Engineering

Col Thurman H. Bane

13 March 1919 - Technical Division redesignated the Engineering Division. Division

Col Thurman H. Bane

Maj John F. Curry

12 October 1926 - Materiel Division created by combining the Engineering Division

Brig Cien William E. Ciilmore

Brig Gen Benjamin D. Foulois

Brig Gen Henry C. Pratt

Brig Gen Augustine W. Robins

Brig Gen George H. Brett

Lt Co1 Oliver P. Echols

Brig Gen George C. Kenney

Brig Gen Arthur W. Vanaman

Experimental Engineering Section of the Materiel Division

Maj Gen Charles E. Branshaw

Maj Gen Charles E. Branshaw

Maj Gen Bennett E. Meyers (Acting)

Brig Gen Kenneth 8. Wolfe Maj Gen Eranshaw

July 1944 - August 1944

Brig Gen Laurence. C. Craigie

Brig Gen Alden R. Crawford

Brig Gen R. P. Swofford

2 April 1951 - ARDC established the Air Development Force (Provisional).

Maj Cien Frederick R. Dent

Mai Gen Dent

Maj Cien Donald L. Putt

Maj Cien Albert Ci. Boyd

Maj Gen Thomas L. Bryan

Maj Gen Stanley T. Wray

15 December 1959 - Reorganization of AKDC merged Wright Air Development Center

P Maj Gen Stanley T. Wray

Maj Gen Joseph R. Holzapple

Maj Gen W. Austin Davis

Maj Gen Robert G. Ruegg

Maj Gen Davis

Maj Gen Harry E. Goldsworthy

Maj Gen Lee V. Gossick

Lt Gen James T. Stewart

Maj Gen Terhone Lt Gen George H. Sylvester

Lt Gen Lawrence A. Skantze

Lt Gen Thomas H. McMullen

Lt Gen J. Michael Loh

Lt Gen Thomas R. Ferguson, Jr.

b Lt Gen Thomas R. Ferguson, Jr.

Lt Gen Richard M. Scofield

Lt Gen Kenneth E. Eickmann

The Wright brothers first tested their

Returning to Ohio, the brothers

1 n 1907, the Aeronautical Division

1 was established within the Office of

Co1 Edward A. Deeds

Aeronautical p rior to the war, the U.S. Congress had

Systems Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) on 3 March