The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is a part of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and is one of the six armed forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the Air Force was established by transfer of personnel from the Army Air Forces with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the second youngest branch of the United States Armed Forces and the fourth in order of precedence. The United States Air Force articulates its core missions as air supremacy, global integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.
The United States Air Force's robotic Boeing X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth after a classified 469-day orbital mission.
On June 16, in the year 2012, The United States Air Force's robotic Boeing X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth after a classified 469-day orbital mission. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of June 16, a notable event in this corner of history.
Key Facts
- This event took place on June 16, 2012 (AD era).
- It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
- Referenced in 4 Wikipedia articles.
- Wikipedia source last updated on 5 June 2026.
On This Date in History
This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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