Science of the Air Force

Science drives everything we do Play video

Providing hope however we can

Lasers

See how lasers work and how the U.S. Air Force is innovating with these powerful beams of light.
Play Video

Lasers image

Micro Air Vehicles

Is it possible to shrink an aircraft to the size of your thumbnail? It is in the U.S. Air Force.
Play Video

Micro Air Vehicles image

G-Forces

Find out what g-forces are and how we prepare our pilots for the intensity of flight.
Play Video

G-forces image

Remotely Piloted Aircraft

Learn the science behind flying an aircraft from thousands of miles away.
Play Video

Remotely Piloted Aircraft image

GPS & Satellites

Learn the history and the science behind our GPS system.
Learn More

GPS image

Supersonic Flight

What happens when you fly faster than the speed of sound (and then faster than that)?
Learn More

Supersonic Flight image

Forces in Flight

From commercial planes to fighter jets, flight boils down to these principles.
Learn More

Forces in Flight image

Related Careers

Want to help the Air Force create the future? Read about your career options and see some of our Airmen in action.

Explore Now

Did you know?

Move Previous
  • AFRL image
    The Air Force is home to a
    leading research laboratory

    The AFRL, or Air Force Research Laboratory, is constantly discovering and developing new war-fighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace forces.

  • Calendar image
    You can show off your science knowledge at these organizations' annual events:

    FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), USA Science and Engineering Festival and Science Olympiad

  • Weather image
    Meteorologists aren’t
    just for the six o’clock news

    Because weather is critical to our success, we have our own Special Ops Weather Team. They’re trained to collect, analyze and forecast weather to ensure our missions run smoothly.

  • Robot image
    Not all airmen are human

    The Air Force employs robots, too. We develop robots that help take our Airmen out of danger — such as the Explosive Ordnance Disposal robot, built to disarm bombs.

  • Robot image
    The Air Force led the invention of GPS

    In 1973 the Air Force spearheaded the combination of its navigation system with two others, ultimately creating the first Global Positioning System.

  • Cyber image
    The Air Force defends Cyberspace

    We’re responsible for protecting the Air Force networks from attack as well as providing offensive cyber capabilities.

Move Next