If Jumper is correct, then there are implications for USAF battlefield airmen, those specialized airmen who travel with the ground forces to coordinate the delivery of airpower. If US aircraft stay, they stay. An Air Force news release on Monday said USAF currently has some 250 tactical air control party airmen on the ground in Iraq.
A yearslong effort to find an affordable way to turn cargo planes into strike platforms is now an official program with anticipated fielding in 2027.