USAF F-16s and A-10s deployed to support operations in Iraq provided close air support—in spades—to coalition ground forces under attack near An Najaf on Jan. 28, according to a Feb. 3 US Central Command Air Forces release from Balad AB, Iraq. The F-16s operating out of Balad and A-10s from Al Asad Air Base dropped more than 3.5 tons of precision munitions
and some 3,000-plus rounds of cannon fire over a five square mile area. The operation killed more than 200 insurgents and led to the capture of another 100. The F-16s are from the 510th Fighter Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy; 14th FS, Misawa AB, Japan; and 332nd FS, Balad. The A-10s are from the 74th FS at Pope AFB, N.C.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.