Big Safari is a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

program begun in 1952 which provides management, direction, and control of the acquisition, modification, and logistics support for special purpose weapons systems derived from existing

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or by using the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in ...

and systems. To that end, the program operates under

procurement Procurement is the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. When a government agency buys goods or s ...

procedures which allow it in most cases to designate the contractor. The sole-source arrangement that allows the pairing of contractors to specific requirements is paramount to the program's success. The program's mission statement begins:

The BIG SAFARI acquisition and sustainment system employs the necessary flexibility to respond to high-priority, dynamic operational requirements for programs that involve a limited number of systems that require a rapid response to changes in the operational environment throughout the life of the system. BIG SAFARI focuses on acquiring, fielding, and sustaining key operational capabilities that otherwise would not be achievable or supportable in the required timeframe. Events and processes are tailored to meet the user's operational and schedule needs.

The program was reconstituted as the BIG SAFARI Systems Group on 23 November 2004 and activated as same on 18 January 2005. It was redesignated as the 645th Aeronautical Systems Group (645 ASG) on 14 July 2006 and is now aligned as the 645th Aeronautical Systems Group (Big Safari) under the 303rd Aeronautical Systems Wing (303 ASW) of the

Air Force Materiel Command Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a major command ( MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF). AFMC was created on July 1, 1992, through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former Air Force Systems Co ...

, although the program itself receives some direction from

National Air and Space Intelligence Center The National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) is the United States Air Force unit for analyzing military intelligence on foreign air and space forces, weapons, and systems. NASIC assessments of aerospace performance characteristics, ca ...

(NASIC). Both the 645 ASG (Big Safari) and 303 ASW are headquartered at

Wright-Patterson AFB Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur W ...

, although Big Safari also has facilities at

Hanscom AFB Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located predominantly within Bedford, Massachusetts, with portions extending into the adjoining towns of Lincoln, Concord and Lexington. The facility is adjacent to Hanscom Fiel ...

and Majors Airport in Greenville, Texas. The program oversees, among other aircraft, the RC-135 and EC-130 aircraft as well as

unmanned aerial vehicles An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...

and remotely piloted aircraft. The Air Force has referred to Big Safari as a "rapid procurement force," which tests the fielding of new weapons systems, sensors, and platforms. By some accounts, the program has been operating since the late 1950s, when the BQM-34 Firefly drone was procured and evaluated. This effort led to the first operational unmanned

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...

vehicle, the redesignated

Ryan Aeronautical The Ryan Aeronautical Company was founded by T. Claude Ryan in San Diego, California, in 1934. It became part of Teledyne in 1969, and of Northrop Grumman when the latter company purchased Ryan in 1999. Ryan built several historically and tec ...

AQM-34 ''Lightning Bug''. Programs conducted under the auspices of ''Big Safari'' are identified by two-word names beginning with the word "Rivet." For instance, the RC-135V and RC-135W model aircraft are part of the "Rivet Joint" program. The program is still operational as of 6 May, 2022.

References

Bibliography

* {{Cite book , title=The History of Big Safari , first=Bill, Col. USAF (Ret) , last=Grimes , publisher=Archway Publishing , year=2014 , isbn=978-1-4808-0456-2

External links

BIG SAFARI for National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)
Projects of the United States Air Force Equipment of the United States Air Force Military intelligence