A total of 955 US and coalition munitions have been expended during offensive strikes on ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria as of Oct. 6, according to a US Central Command analysis. Although Air Forces Central Command has not provided any detailed breakdown of munitions used by USAF or coalition aircraft, the daily summary gives some insight into which munitions are being utilized in the strikes. GBU-38 500-pound bombs appear to be the go-to weapon for coalition aircraft. Naval strike aircraft have dropped 63 GBU-38 500-pound joint direct attack munitions since the campaign began, as well as 26 GBU-54s, which are 500-pound JDAMs with laser seekers attached to better strike moving targets. A total of 36 AGM-65E Maverick air-to-ground missiles also have been fired at targets in the campaign by naval aircraft, according to Naval Forces Central Command figures included in the analysis. As of Oct. 5, 47 RGM-109E Tomahawk cruise missiles also have been fired in the campaign.
The latest round of environmental sampling for the Air Force’s Missile Community Cancer Study found trace amounts of potentially harmful chemicals called volatile organic compounds in the service’s ICBM facilities, but not at levels that would pose a health hazard, Air Force Global Strike Command announced Oct. 22.