B-1B bombers used 500-pound and 2,000-pound joint direct attack munitions to destroy enemy rocket positions and compounds near Uruzgan, Afghanistan, on June 27, Air Forces Central said in a release the following day. These strikes were part of the 47 close air support missions flown by coalition aircraft in Afghanistan and the 70 CAS missions in Iraq on June 27, AFCENT said. On June 26, there was a total of 56 CAS mission in Afghanistan and 70 in Iraq, the command reported. They included an F-16 taking out an enemy bunker in the vicinity of Baqubah, Iraq, with a 2,000 pound-JDAM.
The $4.26 billion Small Business Innovation Research contracting program widely used by the Air Force went into hibernation as the government shut down Oct. 1, but unless lawmakers strike a deal on reforms, the program could reach an abrupt end.


