According to abbreviationfinder, Air Force Institute of Technology is commonly known as AFIT. The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is a graduate school and research center located on the grounds of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. AFIT is the only institution in the United States that offers advanced degrees exclusively to members of the U.S. Air Force, other service branches, and government agencies. AFIT’s mission “is to educate, research, and develop solutions to critical problems that support the United States Air Force and Department of Defense.”
AFIT was established in 1919 as the School of Aviation Medicine by Brigadier General Charles E. McGee, one of America’s first military aviators. The school’s mission was to develop new technologies for aviation medicine in order to improve flight safety and performance. In 1926, the school expanded its scope beyond aviation medicine and was renamed the Air Corps Technical School (ACTS). In 1941, ACTS was reorganized into two separate schools: The School of Applied Sciences (SAS), which provided instruction in engineering; and The School of Aviation Medicine (SAM), which continued its focus on aviation medicine.
In 1948, SAS and SAM were merged into one institution—the Air Force Institute of Technology—with a broadened mission to provide education for both officers and enlisted personnel in all areas related to aerospace technology. Today, AFIT continues this tradition by providing advanced academic programs in engineering, science, management, computer science/information technology/information assurance (CS/IT/IA), logistics management (LM) systems engineering & acquisition management (SEAM), operations research & analysis (ORA), space systems operations & maintenance (SSOM), space systems analysis & design (SSAD), space exploration technologies & applications (SET&A) and nuclear weapons effects sciences & engineering (NWESE).
AFIT also provides world-class research opportunities through its Graduate Programs Office which offers Master’s Degree programs that cover a wide variety of topics including Aeronautical Engineering, Astronautical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science Engineering, Computer Science / Information Technology / Information Assurance, Logistics Management Systems Engineering & Acquisition Management, Operations Research & Analysis, Space Systems Operations & Maintenance, Space Systems Analysis & Design , Space Exploration Technologies & Applications, Nuclear Weapons Effects Sciences & Engineering. AFIT also offers Ph.D degree programs in Aerospace Engineering; Nuclear Physics; Cybersecurity; Artificial Intelligence; Robotics; Machine Learning; Autonomous Systems; Human Performance Optimization; Quantum Computing; Urban Warfare/Unmanned Aerial Vehicles; High Performance Computing; Missile Defense; Modeling Simulation; Energy Technology; Unmanned Autonomy; Automation Control; Network Security; Artificial Intelligence Applications; Human Factors Psychology.
AFIT has numerous other centers devoted to research such as Center for Precision Engagement Technologies(CPET) which focuses on developing precision engagement capabilities such as lasers countermeasures against enemy threats while improving accuracy with friendly forces.; Center for Rapid Automated Fabrication Technologies(CRAFT) which focuses on developing rapid automated fabrication technologies such as 3D printing for rapid prototyping.; Center for Space Superiority(CSS) which focuses on developing technologies related to space exploration including real-time Earth monitoring from satellites.; Center for Strategic Deterrence Studies(CSDS) which focuses on researching strategies related to nuclear warfare deterrence.; Advanced Turbine Technologies Institute(ATTI)which focuses on developing advanced turbine technologies such as hypersonic engines.; Cyberwarfare Research Institute(CRI )which focuses on researching cyberwarfare tactics used by adversaries against friendly forces.; Directed Energy Directorate(DED )which focuses on researching directed energy weapons such as laser weapons.; Cybersecurity Innovation Laboratory(CIL )which focuses on researching cybersecurity techniques used by adversaries against friendly forces..
In addition to these centers AFIT also has four laboratories dedicated solely towards research: Propulsion Lab – develops propulsion systems for aircraft., Robotics Lab – develops robotic systems for military applications., Computational Fluid Dynamics Lab – researches fluid dynamics., Structural Mechanics Lab – researches structural mechanics. AFIT also has an extensive library containing over 200K volumes including technical reports from both military and civilian sources.. All this makes AFIT one of the top institutions for aerospace technology education and research not just within US but across the globe.
Notable alumni from the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) include:
• General David L. Goldfein, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
• General Ellen M. Pawlikowski, former Commander of the Air Force Materiel Command
• General Stephen W. Wilson, Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
• General John E. Hyten, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command
• Brigadier General Gregory J. Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau
• Dr. Mark Taper, NASA Astronaut and Deputy Director at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Collins, First Female Space Shuttle Pilot and Commander
• Colonel Jack Fischer, NASA Astronaut and Flight Engineer on Expedition 51/52 to International Space