Composite Wing

The purpose of this study is not to denigrate the composite wing concept or reject it out of hand as so many of its critics have done. Obviously, senior Air Force leaders believe in the idea and have taken significant, far-reaching steps to transform the concept into reality. In just a short while, Air Combat Command (ACC) will have at least three officially sanctioned composite wings in combat-ready configuration poised to support Air Force Secretary Donald Rice's "Global Reach--Global Power" philosophy. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to survey more than seventy years of Air Force history, distill and extract what lessons about composite units may be hidden there, if any, and if so, apply them to today's concept to help planners avoid potential pitfalls that could destroy the composite wing's effectiveness. Specifically, this study will endeavor to answer a number of questions. First of all, what is the nature of the composite wing debate and is it a recent bone of contention? Second, what exactly is a composite wing and has the term been applied consistently throughout Air Force history? Third, if composite wings have existed throughout Air Force history, how have they fared, especially in combat? Fourth, do today's aerial battlefields and aircraft differ enough from those of previous periods to make the composite wing workable? Finally, what can airmen learn from past composite units' exploits--pro or con--that might allow them to mold today's composite wings into effective, viable combat forces? Not surprisingly, the answers to each of these questions and more are written in the pages of over seventy years of Air Force composite wing history.