The US is conducting about 60 percent of all airstrikes against ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria, down from about 70 percent in late September. “The percentage of support provided by the Air Force has decreased a bit as partner nations have joined the operation and contributed more aircraft and aircrews over time,” Air Forces Central Command spokesman Lt. Col. Tadd Sholtis told Air Force Magazine. As of Nov. 25, US and coalition aircraft have flown more than 10,000 sorties, of which about 45 percent were kinetic close air support or interdiction sorties, 30 percent were tanker sorties, 15 percent were ISR, and 10 percent were “other types of support sorties, not including inter-theater airlift,” said Sholtis. Partner nations have conducted about one-third of the close air support or interdiction sorties, while the US continues to fly about 90 percent of the air refueling sorties. “Overall, air refueling represents nearly a third of all aircraft sorties and remains an essential component of wide-ranging and persistent air operations against ISIL,” he said. “The majority of the US Air Force tanker presence in the CENTCOM area of responsibility historically has been in the Gulf region, and that remains the case.” (See also Targeting ISIS from the November issue of Air Force Magazine.)
The Air Force is now expecting delivery of the first VC-25B presidential transport by mid-2028, months ahead of its last official projection, a service spokesperson said this week. USAF also announced it is buying two used Boeing 747-8 jetliners for training and spare parts to be delivered in 2026, calling the $400 million deal part of its “acceleration efforts” for the oft-delayed presidential airlift program.
