Civil Reserve Air Fleet
Encyclopedia
The Civil Reserve Air Fleet is part of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

's mobility resources. Selected aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

 from U.S. airlines, contractually committed to Civil Reserve Air Fleet, support United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

 airlift requirements in emergencies when the need for airlift exceeds the capability of military aircraft.

Background

In 1952, after aircraft were commandeered for the Berlin Airlift, CRAF was created as a more orderly way of serving emergency military needs.

The Fleet has three main segments: international, national and aeromedical evacuation. The international segment is further divided into the long-range and short-range sections and the national segment into the domestic and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

n sections. Assignment of aircraft to a segment depends on the nature of the requirement and the performance characteristics needed.

The long-range international section consists of passenger and cargo aircraft capable of transoceanic operations. The role of these aircraft is to augment the Air Mobility Command's long-range intertheater C-5
C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...

s and C-17
C-17 Globemaster III
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...

s during periods of increased airlift needs, from minor contingencies up through full national defense emergencies.

Medium-sized passenger and cargo aircraft
Cargo aircraft
A cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft designed or converted for the carriage of goods, rather than passengers. They are usually devoid of passenger amenities, and generally feature one or more large doors for the loading and unloading of cargo...

 make up the short-range international section supporting near offshore airlift requirements.

The aircraft in the Alaskan section provide airlift within U.S. Pacific Command's area of responsibility, specific to Alaska needs. The domestic section is designed to satisfy increased DoD airlift requirements in the U.S. during an emergency.

The aeromedical evacuation segment assists in the evacuation of casualties from operational theaters to hospitals in the continental United States. These aircraft are also used to return medical supplies and medical crews to the theater of operations. Kits containing litter stanchions, litters and other aeromedical equipment are used to convert civil Boeing 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...

 passenger aircraft into air ambulances.

Membership commitment and requirements

The airlines contractually pledge aircraft to the various segments of Civil Reserve Air Fleet, ready for activation when needed. To provide incentives for civil carriers to commit aircraft to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program and to assure the United States of adequate airlift reserves, the government makes peacetime airlift business available to civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...

 airlines that offer aircraft to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet. Department of Defense offers business through the International Airlift Services. For fiscal year 2005, the guaranteed portion of the contract was $418 million. Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....

 (AMC) previously reported that throughout fiscal 2005 it planned to award more than $1.5 billion in additional business beyond the guaranteed portion of the contract.

To join Civil Reserve Air Fleet, carriers must maintain a minimum commitment of 30 percent of its Civil Reserve Air Fleet capable passenger fleet and 15 percent of its Civil Reserve Air Fleet capable cargo fleet. Aircraft committed must be U.S. registered and carriers must also commit and maintain at least four complete crews for each aircraft.

Carriers with aircraft whose performance does not meet minimum Civil Reserve Air Fleet requirements are issued a certificate of technical ineligibility so they can still compete for government airlift business.

Aviation safety is the paramount concern, and numerous procedures are in effect to ensure that the air carriers with which AMC contracts afford the highest level of safety to Department of Defense passengers. Prior to receiving a contract, all carriers must demonstrate that they have provided substantially equivalent and comparable commercial service for one year before submitting their offer to fly for the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

. All carriers must be fully certified Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...

 carriers and meet the stringent standards of Federal Aviation Regulations
Federal Aviation Regulations
The Federal Aviation Regulations, or FARs, are rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration governing all aviation activities in the United States. The FARs are part of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations...

 pertaining to commercial airlines (Part 121).

A Department of Defense survey team, composed of experienced AMC pilots and skilled aircraft maintenance
Aircraft maintenance
Aircraft maintenance is the overhaul, repair, inspection or modification of an aircraft or aircraft component.Maintenance includes the installation or removal of a component from an aircraft or aircraft subassembly, but does not include:...

 personnel, performs an on-site inspection of the carrier
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...

s. This team conducts a comprehensive inspection that includes carrier's aircraft, training facilities, crew qualifications, maintenance procedures, quality control practices and financial status to maximize the likelihood that the carrier would safely perform for Department of Defense. After passing this survey, the carrier is certified by the Commercial Airlift
Airlift
Airlift is the act of transporting people or cargo from point to point using aircraft.Airlift may also refer to:*Airlift , a suction device for moving sand and silt underwater-See also:...

 Review Board as DOD-approved before receiving a contract.

AMC analysts then continue to monitor the carrier's safety record, operations and maintenance status, contract performance, financial condition and management initiatives, summarizing significant trends in a comprehensive review every six months. In addition to this in-depth review, there are several other surveillance initiatives. These include safety preflight inspections of commercial aircraft by Department of Defense designated inspectors, periodic cockpit
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...

 observations on operational flights by highly experienced pilots from AMC's Department of Defense Commercial Airlift Division, and an increase in the frequency of on-site surveys. These initiatives and the surveys are further supplemented by an open flow of information on all contract carriers between AMC and the FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...

 through established liaison officers.

Fleet

As of May 2007, 37 carriers and 1,364 aircraft were enrolled in the CRAF. This includes 1,273 aircraft in the international segment (990 in the long-range international section and 283 in the short-range international section), and 37 and 50 aircraft, respectively, in the national and aeromedical evacuation segments, and four aircraft in the Alaskan segment. These numbers tend to fluctuate on a monthly basis.

Activation

Three stages of incremental activation allow for tailoring an airlift force suitable for the contingency at hand. Stage I is for minor regional crises, Stage II would be used for major theater war and Stage III for periods of national mobilization.

The commander, U.S. Transportation Command, with approval of the secretary of defense, is the activation authority for all three stages of Civil Reserve Air Fleet. During a crisis, if AMC has a need for additional aircraft, it would request the commander of USTRANSCOM
United States Transportation Command
The United States Transportation Command is one of nine unified commands of the United States Department of Defense. The mission of USTRANSCOM is to provide air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense, both in time of peace and time of war.USTRANSCOM, located at Scott Air Force...

 to take steps to activate the appropriate Civil Reserve Air Fleet stage.

Each stage of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet activation is only used to the extent necessary to provide the amount of civil augmentation airlift needed by Department of Defense. When notified of call-up, the carrier response time to have its aircraft ready for a Civil Reserve Air Fleet mission is 24 to 48 hours after the mission is assigned by AMC. The air carriers continue to operate and maintain the aircraft with their resources; however, AMC controls the aircraft missions.

CRAF has been activated once as part of Operation Desert Shield and once as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Long-Range International

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  • Atlas Air
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  • Delta Air Lines
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  • Kalitta Air
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Short-Range International

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  • Astar Air Cargo
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  • Continental Airlines
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    Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...

  • Delta Air Lines
    Delta Air Lines
    Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...

  • JetBlue Airways
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  • Lynden Air Cargo
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  • Miami Air International
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  • Northern Air Cargo
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  • Sun Country
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Domestic

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  • Frontier Airlines
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  • Southwest Airlines
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External links

The original version of this article was from the public domain source at Air Force Civil Reserve Air Fleet page
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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