Dik A. Daso
Published: 2002-04-01
Total Pages: 492
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The United States Air Force is the most technologically advanced service in the world. Stealth, precision, global range, and space systems are only a few of the hallmarks of the USAF technology. Airborne laser weapons, super-accurate sensors, and hypersonic aircraft are already in the early stages of development. Creations such as these are not the product of stagnant minds or idle hands.It was in 1944 that General of the Army Herny H. "Hap" Arnold established the Army Air Forces (AAF) Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) under the direction of Dr. Theodore von Karman. The SAG meticulously created the first science and technology forecast ever accomplished in military history. The study predicted many of the developments in aviation technology which, today, most Americans take for granted. Some of the more outstanding of these are suipersonic flight, precision weaponry, accurate radr, and the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).In Architects of American Air Supremacy, Dik Daso tells the story of the founding of the scientific and technical base of today's USAF. But this work is much more than simply a history of technology. The SAG was a culminating point reached only after many years of building interpersonal relationships, developing industrial bonds, and tapping the wisdom of America's most influential scientists. In large measure this book reflects the symbiotic nature of the military and the society which it serves. This book is an introduction to the very nature of the USAF - a service founded in aviation science and technology and built by great commanders, innovators, and dedicated men and women in the serivce of their nation.Ronald R. FoglemanGeneral, United States Air ForceChief of Staff
