Air National Guard

From dKosopedia

Category: US Military

The Air National Guard is a component of the National Guard in each state and operates on the same principles. It is distinct from the Air Force Reserve.

George W. Bush joined the Air National Guard (ANG for short), to avoid service in the Vietnam War. There is strong evidence that he did not even fulfill this obligation satisfactorily and that he obtained his appointment only through political favors procured by his father.

The combined Air National Guards have the following resources:

Bomber: B-1 (16) Swing Wing, Supersonic Bomber. Entered service in 1987.

Fighter and Attack: F-16 (452) Multi-role ground based fighter. Eventually to be replaced by the F-35A. Entered service 1979.

F-15 (98) Air superiority fighter. This is the best air-to-air combat plane in the Air Force at this time. Entered service 1972. Eventually to be replaced by the F-22.

A-10 (72) Close air support attack aircraft. Entered service 1977. This is primarily used for anti-tank and anti-infantry combat. It was originally to be replaced by the F-35A, and is now being upgraded for continued use.

Cargo Aircraft: C-130 Hercules (216) A short range (1500nm), short takeoff and landing (3,000 feet), small airlift turboprop aircraft. Can hold 92 troops or a 45,000 lbs cargo payload. First deployed in 1955. (Includes 1 AF NC-130 & 8 ANG LC-130 aircraft).

C-5 Galaxy (12) A long range, heavy load airlift jet aircraft. Payload 261,000. Crew 6. $168 million ea. Entered service 1970. 5,165 nm range without refueling.

MC-130 (4) Special Operations variant of C-130 for airdrop missions.

C-141 (16) Long range, medium weight airlift. Eventually to be replaced by the C-17. It can carry Apache AH-64 Helicopters.

Tanker Aircraft:

KC-135 (204) A Boeing 707 based tanker. Entered service 1957-1965.

HC-130 (7) A C-130 based tanker (presumably for helicopters).

VIP Transport: C-21 (2) Medical evacuation (Learjet).

C-26 (11) Executive turboprop used for drug interdiction. A

C-38 (2) Executive Jet. New design.

Reconaissance, Intelligence and Command: OA-10 (66-6-18) A-10 Warthog adapted for Recon

EC-130 (16-2-3) Electronic warfare jamming aircraft based on C-130.

Helicopters: HH-60 (15) A modern Blackhawk utility helicopter.