Description

Strategic Air Command held a constant nuclear-armed vigil, ready to launch nuclear war at a moment’s notice, twenty-four hours a day. SAC was responsible for two of the three components of the Nuclear Triad – manned strategic bombers and land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) – alongside the Navy’s SLBMs. Also responsible for the USAF’s strategic reconnaissance aircraft, SAC maintained a large fleet of tankers to support its bombers and spy planes.

After a drawdown of strength in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, SAC rebuilt its strength throughout the 1980s as part of a wider revitalisation of the US armed forces under President Reagan. New advanced bombers, tankers and ICBMs joined the fleet with the promise of new stealth aircraft under development. The lavishly illustrated story of Strategic Air Command in the 1980s. Take a step inside the day-to-day operations.