F-15Es struck enemy combatant fighting positions June 1 in the vicinity of Nangalam, Afghanistan, with 500-pound joint direct attack munitions and one 2,000-pound JDAM, Air Forces Central announced June 2. A joint terminal attack controller confirmed the success of these attacks. Also in Afghanistan on that day, an F-15E dropped 500-pound JDAMs onto enemy combatants in Qalenaw, “successfully eliminating the targets,” AFCENT said. In total, coalition aircraft flew 52 close-air-support missions in Afghanistan and 69 in Iraq on June 1.
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.