Air Force strike aircraft remained heavily engaged in coalition operations June 2 in Afghanistan, Air Forces Central announced June 3. F-15Es and A-10s dropped a general-purpose 500 pound bomb, a 500-pound laser-guided bomb, and 500-pound and 2,000-pound joint direct attack munitions onto enemy combatants in the vicinity of Bahramchan. An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle fired a Hellfire missile at enemy combatants in Kandahar. Further, A-10s dispensed rockets and cannon rounds at enemy combatant fighting positions in the vicinity of Nangalam, and F-15Es hit enemy positions in the same area with 500-pound and 2,000-pound JDAMs. And in Zormat, F-15Es struck enemy combatants with a 500-pound JDAM and 500-pound LGBs. All of these missions were reported as successful, AFCENT said. In total, USAF and coalition aircraft flew 52 close air support missions June 2 in Afghanistan. In Iraq, there were 67 CAS missions on that day.
The Air Force is slashing all civilian positions at its premier research institute for Chinese military aviation, prompting concern among experts who say it will dilute the service’s focus on the Pentagon’s most significant long-term adversary.
