civil reserve air fleet

A program in which the Department of Defense contracts for the services of specific aircraft, owned by a US entity or citizen, during national emergencies and defense-oriented situations when expanded civil augmentation of military airlift activity is required. These aircraft are allocated, in accordance with Department of Defense requirements, to segments, according to their capabilities, such as international long range and short range cargo and passenger sections, national (domestic and Alaskan sections) and aeromedical evacuation and other segments as may be mutually agreed upon by the Department of Defense and the Department of Transportation. Also called CRAF. See also reserve.