USAF A-10s and B-52s in Afghanistan and A-10s and F-16s in Iraq struck various enemy targets over the past few days. F-16s on Nov. 21 launched precision-guided munitions against a staging area and weapons cache of anti-Iraqi forces near Salman Pak, Iraq. On the day before, F-16s unleashed PGMs against improvised explosive device locations near Ramadi. In action on Nov. 21 in Afghanistan, A-10s strafed an enemy firing position and one Warthog unloaded a 500-pound bomb. A day earlier in Afghanistan, a B-52 bomber struck enemy militia targets near Kandahar.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.