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Aircraft
Introduction

Air Force Reservists fly the same state-of-the-art aircraft as do those on Active Duty. Reservists work side-by-side with members of the Air Force in all capacities and routinely are part of the flight crews and ground crews. These are the Aircraft that the Air Force Reserve supports around the world:

A-10 Thunderbolt II
View More Images This single-pilot aircraft is a vital component in the Close Air Support (CAS) system. The A-10 is a legend in its durability and tenacity. It carries sidewinder missiles, a Gatling gun and an array of bombs. The A-10 frequently flies in support of the Pararescuemen, paramedics trained to rescue downed pilots in all kind of situations.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Two General Electric TF34-GE-100A turbofans
Thrust: 9,065 pounds each engine
Wingspan: 57 feet, 6 inches (17.42 meters)
Length: 53 feet, 4 inches (16.16 meters)
Height: 14 feet, 8 inches (4.42 meters)
Weight: 29,000 pounds (13,154 kilograms)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 51,000 pounds (22,950 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 11,000 pounds (7,257 kilograms)
Speed: 420 miles per hour (Mach 0.56)
Range: 800 miles (695 nautical miles)
Ceiling: 45,000 feet (13,636 meters)
B-52 Stratofortress
View More Images The primary mission of this aircraft is to deliver massive amounts of targeted bombs. The B-52 carries a five person crew including a radar navigator, navigator and an electronic warfare officer.
General Characteristics
Power plant: Eight Pratt & Whitney engines TF33-P-3/103 turbofan
Thrust: Each engine up to 17,000 pounds
Wingspan: 185 feet (56.4 meters)
Length: 159 feet, 4 inches (48.5 meters)
Height: 40 feet, 8 inches (12.4 meters)
Weight: Approximately 185,000 pounds (83,250 kilograms)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 488,000 pounds (219,600 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 312,197 pounds
Speed: 650 miles per hour (Mach 0.86)
Range: 8,800 miles (7,652 nautical miles)
Ceiling: 50,000 feet (15,151.5 meters)
Armament: Approximately 70,000 pounds (31,500 kilograms) mixed ordinance - bombs, mines and missiles.
C-40C
View More Images This jet, with a crew of ten, is used to transport distinguished guests.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Two GE CFM 56-7B27 turbofan engines
Thrust: 27,000 pounds static thrust each engine
Length: 110 feet, 4 inches (33.6 meters)
Height: 41 feet, 2 inches (12.5 meters)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 171,000 pounds
Wingspan: 117 feet, 5 inches (35.8 meters)
Speed: 530 mph (Mach 0.8)
Ceiling: 41,000 feet (12,727 meters)
Fuel Capability: 60,000 lbs
Maximum Range: 4,500 to 5,000 nautical miles (based on payload) unrefueled range
C-130 Hercules
View More Images This is an extremely versatile aircraft, serving as the vehicle of choice for the famed Hurricane Hunters, who fly across huge storms at sea, measuring their power and predicting landfall. The C-130 can also be transformed to carry special tanks of flame retardant used by aerial firefighters to beat back forest and wildfires. These aircraft can be converted into flying hospitals for aeromedical evacuation missions and can carry troops and cargo. Crews can range from three to five Air Force Reservists.
General Characteristics
Power Plant:
C-130E: Four Allison T56-A-7 turboprops; 4,200 prop shaft horsepower
C-130H: Four Allison T56-A-15 turboprops; 4,591prop shaft horsepower
C-130J: Four Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 turboprops; 4,700 horsepower

Wingspan: 132 feet, 7 inches (39.7 meters)

Length:
C-130E/H/J: 97 feet, 9 inches (29.3 meters)
C-130J-30: 112 feet, 9 inches (34.69 meters)

Height: 38 feet, 10 inches (11. 9 meters)

Maximum Takeoff Weight:
C-130E/H/J: 155,000 pounds (69,750 kilograms)
C-130J-30: 164,000 pounds (74,393 kilograms)

Speed:
C-130E: 345 mph/300 ktas (Mach 0.49) at 20,000 feet (6,060 meters)
C-130H: 366 mph/318 ktas (Mach 0.52) at 20,000 feet (6,060 meters)
C-130J: 417 mph/362 ktas (Mach 0.59) at 22,000 feet (6,706 meters)
C-130J-30: 410 mph/356 ktas (Mach 0.58) at 22,000 feet (6,706 meters)

Ceiling:
C-130J: 28,000 feet (8,615 meters) with 42,000 pounds (19,090 kilograms) payload
C-130J-30: 26,000 feet (8,000 meters) with 44,500 pounds (20,227 kilograms) payload.
C-130H: 23,000 feet (7,077 meters) with 42,000 pounds (19,090 kilograms) payload
C-130E: 19,000 feet (5,846 meters) with 42,000 pounds (19,090 kilograms) payload

Crew:
C-130E/H: Five (two pilots, navigator, flight engineer and loadmaster)
C-130J/J-30: Three (two pilots and loadmaster)
C-17 Globemaster III
View More Images The C-17 is excellent in terms of range, ability to land on all kinds of surfaces including sand, and it can even backup. With its three-person crew, the C-17 is used for air evacuation and air lift missions.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Four Pratt and Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines
Thrust: 40,440 pounds, each engine
Wingspan: 169 feet 10 inches (to winglet tips) (51.75 meters)
Length: 174 feet (53 meters)
Height: 55 feet 1 inch (16.79 meters)
Cargo Compartment: length, 88 feet (26.82 meters); width, 18 feet (5.48 meters); height, 12 feet 4 inches (3.76 meters)
Speed: 450 knots at 28,000 feet (8,534 meters) (Mach .76)
Service Ceiling: 45,000 feet at cruising speed (13,716 meters)
Range: Global with in-flight refueling
C-5 Galaxy
View More Images This gentle giant is the largest plane in the Air Force fleet and the third largest in the world. It takes a crew of seven to keep the C-5 carrying vast amounts of cargo.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Four General Electric TF-39 engines
Thrust: 43,000 pounds, each engine
Wingspan: 222.9 feet (67.89 meters)
Length: 247.1 feet (75.3 meters)
Height: 65.1 feet (19.84 meters)
Cargo Compartment: height, 13.5 feet (4.11 meters); width, 19 feet (5.79 meters); length, 143 feet, 9 in (43.8 meters)
Pallet Positions: 36
Maximum Cargo: 270,000 pounds (122,472 kilograms)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 769,000 pounds (348,818 kilograms) (peacetime), 840,000 pounds (381,024 kilograms) (wartime)
Speed: 518 mph (.77 Mach)
Range: 6,320 nautical miles without air refueling; unlimited with in-flight refueling
C-9C Nightingale
View More Images This is a twin engine jet with a crew of seven and is used to transport small groups of distinguished guests.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A turbofan engines
Thrust: 14,500 pounds (6,575 kilograms) each engine
Length: 119.3 feet
Height: 27 feet, 5 inches
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 110,000 pounds (49,886 kilograms)
Wingspan: 93.3 feet
Speed: 565 mph (490 nautical miles) at 25,000 feet (.84 mach)
Ceiling: 37,000 feet
E-3 Sentry AWACS
View More Images This essentially is a flying control tower, sorting friendly from unfriendly aircraft and routing planes from point to point while they are in the air. The E-3 AWACS is constantly on patrol in the skies with a crew of four and as many as 19 mission specialists.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Four Pratt and Whitney TF33-PW-100A turbofan engines
Thrust: 21,000 pounds each engine
Rotodome: 30 feet in diameter (9.1 meters), 6 feet thick (1.8 meters), mounted 11 feet (3.33 meters) above fuselage
Wingspan: 145 feet, 9 inches (44.4 meters)
Length: 152 feet, 11 inches (46.4 meters)
Height: 41 feet, 9 inches (13 meters)
Weight: 335,000 pounds (151,955 kilograms)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 347,000 pounds (156,150 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 23,000 gallons (104,560 liters)
Speed: optimum cruise 360 mph (Mach 0.48)
Range: more than 5,000 nautical miles (9,250 kilometers)
Ceiling: Above 29,000 feet (8,788 meters)
F-15 Strike Eagle
View More Images This is a very maneuverable tactical fighter that can carry four different air-to-air weapons, and visual guidance systems for each system is automatically called up on the head-up display.
General Characteristics
Power plant: Two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100, 220 or 229 turbofan engines with afterburners
Thrust: (C/D models) 23,450 pounds each engine
Wingspan: 42.8 feet (13 meters)
Length: 63.8 feet (19.44 meters)
Height: 18.5 feet (5.6 meters)
Weight: 31,700 pounds
Maximum takeoff weight: (C/D models) 68,000 pounds (30,844 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 36,200 pounds (three external plus conformal fuel tanks)
Speed: 1,875 mph (Mach 2 class)
Range: 3,450 miles (3,000 nautical miles) ferry range with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks
Ceiling: 65,000 feet (19,812 meters)
F-16 Fighting Falcon
View More Images As the primary fighter jet in the fleet, the F-16 can fly in a single or two-pilot configuration. This craft can handle air-to-air and air-to-surface situations with six missiles and conventional munitions.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: F-16C/D: one Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-200/220/229 or General Electric F110-GE-100/129
Thrust: F-16C/D, 27,000 pounds
Wingspan: 32 feet, 8 inches (9.8 meters)
Length: 49 feet, 5 inches (14.8 meters)
Height: 16 feet (4.8 meters)
Weight: 19,700 pounds without fuel (8,936 kilograms)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 37,500 pounds (16,875 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 7,000 pounds internal (3,175 kilograms); typical capacity, 12,000 pounds with two external tanks (5443 kilograms)
Speed: 1,500 mph (Mach 2 at altitude)
Range: More than 2,002 miles ferry range (1,740 nautical miles)
Ceiling: Above 50,000 feet (15 kilometers)
F-22 Raptor
View More Images Combining the startling capabilities of stealth technologies that make it almost invisible to radar and supercruise power that lets it fly at airspeeds greater than 1.5 Mach without an afterburner, the F-22 Raptor is the newest fighter in the Air Force fleet. This sleek craft is excellent at air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines with afterburners and two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles.
Thrust: 35,000-pound class (each engine)
Wingspan: 44 feet, 6 inches (13.6 meters)
Length: 62 feet, 1 inch (18.9 meters)
Height: 16 feet, 8 inches (5.1 meters)
Weight: 43,340 pounds (19,700 kilograms)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 83,500 pounds (38,000 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: Internal: 18,000 pounds (8,200 kilograms); with 2 external wing fuel tanks: 26,000 pounds (11,900 kilograms)
Speed: Mach 2 class with supercruise capability
Range: More than 1,850 miles ferry range with 2 external wing fuel tanks (1,600 nautical miles)
Ceiling: Above 50,000 feet (15 kilometers)
HH-60G Pave Hawk
View More Images This helicopter transports Air Force Reserve Pararescuemen on rescue missions, and is frequently under the protection of the A-10 Thunderbolt II. The Pararescuemen, or PJs, are an elite team of trained paramedics called upon to rescue those downed behind enemy lines or in life-threatening situations in extreme conditions on mountains, in deserts and in seas.

The Pave Hawk flies with a four-person crew - two pilots, a flight engineer and a gunner.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Two General Electric T700-GE-700 or T700-GE-701C engines
Thrust: 1,560-1,940 shaft horsepower, each engine
Rotor Diameter: 53 feet, 7 inches (14.1 meters)
Length: 64 feet, 8 inches (17.1 meters)
Height: 16 feet, 8 inches (4.4 meters)
Weight: 22,000 pounds (9,900 kilograms)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 22,000 pounds (9,900 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 4,500 pounds (2,041 kilograms)
Speed: 184 mph (159 knots)
Range: 504 nautical miles
Ceiling: 14,000 feet (4,267 meters)
KC-10 Extender
View More Images The four-person crew, including a boom operator, can refuel in mid-air all kinds of craft from helicopters to C-5s, thus dramatically extending their range and time in the air. The KC-10 can also carry cargo.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Three General Electric CF6-50C2 turbofans
Thrust: 52,500 pounds (23,625 kilograms), each engine
Length: 181 feet, 7 inches (54.4 meters)
Height: 58 feet, 1 inch (17.4 meters)
Wingspan: 165 feet, 4.5 inches (50 meters)
Speed: 619 mph (Mach 0.825)
Ceiling: 42,000 feet (12,727 meters)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 590,000 pounds (265,500 kilograms)
Range: 4,400 miles (3,800 nautical miles) with cargo; 11,500 miles (10,000 nautical miles) without cargo
KC-135 Stratotanker
View More Images The four crewmembers on the KC-135 refuel the aircraft of the Reserve in mid-air to extend flight range.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: KC-135R/T, CFM International CFM-56 turbofan engines; KC-135E, Pratt and Whitney TF-33-PW-102 turbofan engines
Thrust: KC-135R, 21,634 pounds each engine; KC-135E, 18,000 pounds each engine
Wingspan: 130 feet, 10 inches (39.88 meters)
Length: 136 feet, 3 inches (41.53 meters)
Height: 41 feet, 8 inches (12.7 meters)
Speed: 530 miles per hour at 30,000 feet (9,144 meters)
Ceiling: 50,000 feet (15,240 meters)
Range: 1,500 miles (2,419 kilometers) with 150,000 pounds (68,039 kilograms) of transfer fuel; ferry mission, up to 11,015 miles (17,766 kilometers)
MQ-1 Predator
View More Images This remotely-piloted craft is primarily tasked with armed reconnaissance and frequently flies in support of ground troops. The Air Force Reserve Predator is part of a system controlled out of Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, yet the craft could be flying over the Middle East, more than 7,000 miles away. It can be airborne for many hours at a time, sustained by a ground team of 55 people.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Rotax 914F four cylinder engine
Thrust: 115 horsepower
Wingspan: 48.7 feet (14.8 meters)
Length: 27 feet (8.22 meters)
Height: 6.9 feet (2.1 meters)
Weight: 1,130 pounds ( 512 kilograms) empty
Maximum Takeoff weight: 2,250 pounds (1,020 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 665 pounds (100 gallons)
Speed: Cruise speed around 84 mph (70 knots), up to 135 mph
Range: up to 400 nautical miles (454 miles)
Ceiling: up to 25,000 feet (7,620 meters)
MQ-9 Reaper
View More Images The Reaper is a remotely controlled aircraft, similar to the Predator, but it can fly at high altitudes. Since the primary mission of the Reaper is to seek and destroy targets, it has a sophisticated sensor suite that can transmit data to the flight crew, which will probably be thousands of miles away from the aircraft.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Honeywell TPE331-10GD turboprop engine
Thrust: 900 shaft horsepower maximum
Wingspan: 66 feet (20.1 meters)
Length: 36 feet (11 meters)
Height: 12.5 feet (3.8 meters)
Weight: 4,900 pounds (2,223 kilograms) empty
Maximum takeoff weight: 10,500 pounds (4,760 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 4,000 pounds (602 gallons)
Speed: cruise speed around 230 miles per hour, (200 knots)
Range: 3,682 miles (3,200 nautical miles)
Ceiling: up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters)
RQ-4 Global Hawk
View More ImagesOne of the Air Force Reserve's elite unmanned aircraft, the Global Hawk, is used to relay important intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance long distances in order to support U.S. armed forces in times of combat as well as to maintain the peace worldwide.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Rolls Royce-North American AE 3007H turbofan
Thrust: 7,600 pounds
Wingspan: 116 feet (35.3 meters)
Length: 44 feet (13.4 meters)
Height: 15.2 (4.6 meters)
Weight: 11,350 pounds (5,148 kilograms)
Ceiling: 60,000 feet (18,288 meters)
Maximum takeoff weight: 26,750 pounds (12,133 kilograms )
Fuel Capacity: 15,400 pounds (6,985 kilograms)
Speed: 340 knots (391 mph)
Range: 9,500 nautical miles
T-1A Jayhawk
View More Images Carrying a crew of three, the T-1A Jayhawk is a medium-range, twin-engine jet trainer used in the advanced phase of specialized undergraduate pilot training for students selected to fly airlift or tanker aircraft.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Two Pratt and Whitney JT15D-5B turbofan engines
Thrust: 2,900 pounds each engine
Length: 48 feet, 5 inches (14.75 meters)
Height: 13 feet, 11 inches (4.24 meters)
Wingspan: 43 feet, 6 inches (13.25 meters)
Maximum Speed: 538 miles per hour (Mach .78)
Ceiling: 41,000 feet (12,500 meters)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 16,100 pounds (7,303 kilograms)
Range: 2,222 nautical miles (2,900nm flying long-range cruise)
T-37 Tweet
View More Images This twin-engine jet is used for pilot training students in fundamentals of aircraft handling, and instrument, formation and night flying.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Two Continental J69-T-25 turbojet engines
Thrust: 1,025 pounds (461.25 kilograms), each engine
Length: 29 feet, 3 inches (8.9 meters)
Height: 9 feet, 2 inches (2.8 meters)
Wingspan: 33 feet, 8 inches (10.2 meters)
Speed: 360 mph (Mach 0.4 at sea level)
Ceiling: 35,000 feet (10.6 kilometers)
Range: 460 miles
T-38 Talon
View More Images This twin-engine is a high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer.
General Characteristics
Power Plant: Two General Electric J85-GE-5 turbojet engines with afterburners
Thrust (with PMP): 2,200 pounds dry thrust; 3,300 with afterburners
Length: 46 feet, 4 inches (14 meters)
Height: 12 feet, 10 inches (3.8 meters)
Wingspan: 25 feet, 3 inches (7.6 meters)
Speed: 812 mph (Mach 1.08 at sea level)
Ceiling: Above 55,000 feet (16,764 meters)
Range: 1,093 miles
T-6A Texan II
View More Images The T-6A Texan II is a single-engine, two-seat primary trainer designed to train Joint Primary Pilot Training students basic flying skills.
General Characteristics
Powerplant: 1,100 horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68 turbo-prop engine
Wingspan: 33.5 feet (10.19 meters)
Length: 33.4 feet (10.16 meters)
Height: 10.7 feet (3.23 meters)
Speed: 320 miles per hour
Ceiling: 31,000 feet (9448.8 meters)
Range: 900 nautical miles (1,667 kilometers)