On July 26, an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle struck enemy combatants near Tani, Afghanistan, with Hellfires missiles, coming to the aid of Afghan national security forces under attack, according to Air Forces Central. It was one of the 54 close air support missions flown over Afghanistan on that day, the command said in its daily airpower summary release. These sorties included kinetic attacks and shows of force to deter enemy actions. For example, an A-10 dropped 500-pound bombs on enemy fighting positions near Nangalam and fired rockets at them. A B-1B struck enemy combatants near Shinkay with 500-pound and 2,000-pound joint direct attack munitions. And, in the vicinity of Gardez, F-15Es attacked enemy combatants with 500-pound laser-guided bombs and 2,000-pound JDAMs, and an MQ-1 fired Hellfire missiles at enemy positions. There was also a total of 44 CAS missions over Iraq on July 26, AFCENT said.
Satellite manufacturer Apex announced it would launch a space-based interceptor demonstration next summer—the latest company to unveil plans to prototype technology that could contribute to the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile defense project.
