AIR FORCE NOW

as most of you probably know I've been a friend of the air force for many many years well I would have flown with Lindbergh but the only in-flight meal was a peanut butter sandwich one reason I've been round to be a friend all these years or that I don't smoke anymore I quit take a piece of friendly advice don't smoke if you haven't and if you do smoke quick spend a few more years with your friends [Music] [Music] of all the potential threats that face the United States the the most serious the most disasters is that of nuclear war I'm Colonel Gary elkerton I'm commander the ninetieth strategic missile wing here at Francis II Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming our national policy for about 40 years has been to maintain deterrence through maintaining strong strategic forces in the United States hable able to hold at a risk the forces that may in fact threaten Easter this United States [Music] since our last Minuteman 3 deployment in the mid-1970s the Soviet Union has deployed or developed five new missile systems this includes more than 660 5 SS 18 and 19 missiles in silos hardened to withstand attack by our current operational ICBMs their latest missiles the SS X 24 and SS 25 represent the newest technology and include mobile basic the Soviets have also hardened critical command centers and leadership facilities this hardening is undermined our ability to hold these facilities at risk strategic modernization and will improve the ability of our forces to hold these facilities at risk by deploying more and better weapon systems peacekeeper is the cornerstone of our strategic modernization program that began back in 1981 we believe the peacekeeper along with the small ICBM and of course with the C launched ballistic missiles and the improvements in our Airport leg of the triad will be the very very cost effective deterrent to war last September Air Force Systems Command passed responsibility for the first for peacekeepers to the Strategic Air Command at Fe Warren Air Force Base the location where all missiles will be deployed the peacekeeper program achieved initial operational capability with 10 missiles on alert in December 1986 final deployment of the 50 approved peacekeeper missiles is scheduled to be completed by December 1988 I'm Captain John Coquette I'm a field engineer with the deployment of the peacekeeper missile system today our technicians are practicing a transfer of the Rancheria system from the type ii transporter to the employ sir the peacekeeper development program is proven most successful the peacekeeper is displayed in accuracy two to three times better than that of the Minuteman 3 your entry system has the capability of deploying up to 10 reentry vehicles to targets over 5,000 nautical miles away [Music] the development program started in June of 1983 at Ben de Burgh Air Force Base when we conducted a series of eight above ground launches we modified three Minuteman silos and then we demonstrated the capability of the system by conducting below ground launchers [Music] the peacekeepers development has been on schedule under cost and most successful however we still have a military requirement for 50 additional missiles as part of the president's modernization program to ensure continuing effective deterrence stability peacekeeper is the most successful missile development program undertaken by the United States [Music] in the 1960s air force warriors through combat in the skies over Southeast Asia among the some 30 different types of aircraft now flying from Tanzania airbase our Air Force ec120 one is called big I operating at low altitude to avoid enemy radar detection the mission of this unique unarmed Task Force is to direct fighter pilots against military targets and communist MIG fighters to do this the guy crews operate some five tons of delicate electronic equipment aboard the aircraft when their powerful radar picks up an enemy plane operators track it and the weapons control officer vectors our fighters in for the kill now under pakad command these aircraft and crews are a unit of the air defense commands 550 second airborne early warning and control wing big eye keeping our strike planets posted on mega activity and forming a vital link in the air defences of South Vietnam Strategic Air Command b-52s staging from a base in the western Pacific have completed over one year of conventional bombing operations against the Vietcong since the first attack in mid June 1965 more than 350 missions have been flown with over 70,000 tons of bombs dropped after each bomber lands parachute riggers recover inspect and repack the huge drag chute which is over 43 feet in diameter when deployed the spring the b-52s striking the Vietcong were modified to increase their internal bomb load and a new system was introduced to speed up loading time bombs are now pre-loaded on special racks for a package uploading three packages fill the bomb bay and can be uploaded in less than a third of the time previously required [Music] near the target and f-100 half with a cameraman from the 600th photo squadron joins up to photograph the strikes the pictures obtained are used to study bomb trajectory and evaluate target damage [Music] the effectiveness at these raids is borne out by captured documents and enemy prisoners they reveal the vietcong's great fear of the b-52 and its ability to strike anywhere at any time without warning [Music] [Music] [Music] I think when a maintenance personnel looked at what this aircraft actually stands for that it's actually like a deterrent towards war our mission is to be ready to defend the United States under any conditions to deploy anywhere at any time split given moment every one of these aircraft takes special attention in order to get it to fly and one person cannot do all the jobs that are necessary to do that so we do have to work together as a team we have eight different specialties that participate in repairing the aircraft and getting them ready for the mission [Music] well when you're out here working on these aircraft you realize a lot of pilots they're putting their lives in your hands and they trust you to do the job and you just go out there and do it you know you have to do it [Music] every system has to be capable of operating you got weapons radar shop and others who are necessary for the plane to be fully capable for combat sometimes it gets a little hectic trying to get birds up just gotta slow down and take your time because one mistake can be the pilots last and that's the last thing you want to do is hurry up a job that needs to take time what we're working with here is a combat oriented maintenance unit and it's pretty much everybody is working together I've done my job and now it's up to the pilot to do his job my name is Staff Sergeant Randi Charlene I'm from the 94th amu first act Fighter Wing I'm Senior Master Sergeant Saville specialist flight chief I'm lieutenant Jeff Reardon and I'm the assistant officer in charge of the 94th aircraft maintenance unit [Music] during the job the best of their abilities it's always in the best interest the interest of the pollak the interest of the Winx centers of the country [Music] [Music] next month in Air Force now fly high-tech combat training missions with the remarkable ACMI system travel to the Philippines to survey the heavens with the 17th surveillance squadron all this and more in next month's airforce now remember what I told you earlier just because Air Force now is over doesn't mean it's time to light up a cigarette for me for your family and friends for yourself don't smoke [Music]