As aviation technology has advanced, the ability to defend a country’s air space has become increasingly important. RAND research has evaluated aircraft options and costs, defensive systems and strategies, deployment, and the importance of international partnerships in an effort to help the U.S. and allied air forces assess and enhance their ability to combat enemy air strikes — for national defense as well as in military operations around the globe.
Commentary
Practically any country that aspires to an indigenous aviation industry (as most countries do, even if only for national pride) has a reasonably capable, medium-altitude unmanned drone system in development or flying already, writes Ted Harshberger.
Report
The Air Force is considering upgrades to the KC-10 in several areas. An assessment of options to upgrade the KC-10 weighed the costs and potential benefits of the upgrades against demands in different types of operations and KC-10 roles.
News Release
An exhaustive study of Chinese military sources reveals that a future Chinese air force campaign would, under most likely scenarios, seriously test the United States and its allies in a conflict.
Report
An exhaustive study of Chinese military sources reveals that a future Chinese air force campaign would, under most likely scenarios, seriously test the United States and its allies in a conflict.
Report
Evaluates existing Air Force capacity to conduct assessments of its security cooperation and building partnerships programs, makes the case for improving assessment efforts, and describes a framework for doing so.
Journal Article
Surveys the subject of air power as an area of research in international security studies and provides a bibliography of significant works and useful online resources.
Report
Provides historical contextual information on the ages of aircraft designs operated by the Air Force.
Report
Without modernization, the U.S. Air Force's KC-10 air refueling fleet will not be in compliance with upcoming worldwide air traffic mandates. An analysis of the cost-effectiveness of the required KC-10 upgrades revealed a net cost avoidance.
Report
A method for capabilities-based programming is developed to assist the programming of a wide range of resources in light of an uncertain future, expressing capabilities and risks of resource allocations in terms of national planning objectives.
Report
Proposes a new warfighting concept that capitalizes on greater air and ground joint interdependence and demonstrates its potential to increase effectiveness during major combat.
Report
Discusses the theory and practice of joint task forces (JTFs), command-related developments in the Department of Defense, four JTFs, and requirements for JTF headquarters in order to develop recommendations for the U.S. Air Force to consider.
Report
This report documents the exceptional cross-service harmony that the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy have steadily developed in their conduct of integrated strike operations since the first Persian Gulf War in 1991.
News Release
RAND Study Estimates Multiyear Purchase of F-22A Fighters Would Save Air Force Hundreds of Millions of Dollars, RAND Study Finds.
News Release
Addressing Sprawl Issues and Protecting Biodiversity Can Benefit Military Bases, RAND Study Finds.
Report
This report describes and assesses the planning and execution of Operation Enduring Freedom against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Report
This monograph presents findings of a RAND Project AIR FORCE research project documenting lessons learned from the implementation of evolutionary acquisition (EA) strategies on major Defense Department military space programs.
Research Brief
This research brief looks at applications of U.S. air and ground power in post-Cold War operations and the implications of air power largely supplanting ground power in future deep operations.
Research Brief
This research brief describes work documented in Air Power Against Terror: America’s Conduct of Operation Enduring Freedom (MG-166-CENTAF).
Report
Creating a new partnership to integrate air operations with ground fire and maneuver more effectively on future battlefields.
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