Air Combat Command

Today, as we mark Victory in Europe Day, we remember that the flight path to victory started right here at Langley Field.

Two decades before the outbreak of World War II, the Air Corps Tactical School 1920-31, transformed our grass runways and the former National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) lab into the ultimate proving ground for modern airpower. It was here, at the present day location of Headquarters, Air Combat Command, that officers developed the pursuit, bombardment, and reconnaissance tactics that would ultimately turn the tide of the war. Visionaries like future first Air Force Chief of Staff, General Carl Spaatz and General Frank M. Andrews honed their skills in our local skies long before they secured victory in Europe. History happened here.

Today, we honor the Langley legacy that made allied victory possible.

Air Combat Command just stood up a new Artificial Intelligence Integration Division to get machine learning out of the tech labs and into the hands of our warfighters.

We are bridging the gap between high-level concepts and tactical reality to ensure our Airmen are never sent into a fight they aren’t equipped to win. This is a direct, data-driven way to ensure our forces are equipped with highly reliable, mission-ready tools built to dominate the future fight.

Generating Excellence: Air Combat Command operations directorate activates new AI Integrat ACC’s Operations Directorate (ACC/A3) stood up a first-of-its-kind Artificial Intelligence Integration Division April 1, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. The new division, designated A3AI, will serve

Air Combat Command is building real-world readiness by getting new hardware out of the lab and into the sky!

Recently, ACC’s Experimental Operations Unit put actual warfighters at the controls of the YFQ-44A uncrewed aircraft to test its limits in the field. We are bridging the gap between planning and tactical reality to ensure our Airmen are never sent into a fight they aren’t equipped to win. We aren't moving fast and breaking things; we are methodically proving this hardware can survive and succeed in a real fight.

This hands-on, operator-first approach also fundamentally changes how ACC scales its combat power smartly. Uncrewed systems are a highly cost-effective alternative and by getting tactical feedback from the warfighter on day one, we identify hardware flaws early—eliminating expensive mid-cycle redesigns and significantly reducing long-term maintenance overhead. It is a direct, data-driven approach that guarantees our personnel deploy with durable, mission-ready equipment built to get the job done.

Experimental Operations Unit accelerates Collaborative Combat Aircraft program The Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit, under Air Combat Command, concluded a critical exercise with Collaborative Combat Aircraft recently at Edwards Air Force Base, putting principles of the