U.S. Air Force

Air Operations

The command and control backbone that plans, tasks, and executes the air war. From Combined Air Ops Centers to wing-level ops floors, Air Operations orchestrates every sortie in theater.

Orchestrating the Air War Est. 1942

AIR OPS

Air Operations squadrons plan, task, and execute the air campaign. The CAOC builds the Air Tasking Order, the master document telling every aircraft in theater what to do, when, and where. The 609th AOC at Al Udeid has directed every CENTCOM air campaign since 2001. Air Ops personnel build the daily ATO, manage airspace, deconflict missions, and ensure the right weapons hit the right targets. Read more

Explore Collection

Modern Air Campaign Planning 1991 - Present

DESERT STORM

3,000 SORTIES/DAY

Desert Storm Air Campaign

Desert Storm was the first war planned through a modern Air Operations Center. The air campaign ran 38 days before the ground war. Over 3,000 sorties daily were coordinated through the ATO. Air superiority was achieved within 24 hours. The Black Hole planning cell in Riyadh wrote the strategic plan that destroyed Iraqi C2, air defenses, and military infrastructure. Read more

The CENTCOM Air Nerve Center

The 609th AOC at Al Udeid has been the most continuously active air operations center in USAF history. It manages the CENTCOM ATO, coordinates ISR collection, directs air refueling, and deconflicts operations spanning from the Horn of Africa to Central Asia. The ops floor runs 24/7 with hundreds of personnel managing real-time air operations. Read more

Explore Collection

CAOC

Combined Air Ops Ctr

ATO

Air Tasking Order

609th

AOC Al Udeid

24/7

Operations Floor