US Central Command Air Forces applied intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance air assets combined with precision strike and close air support to aid coalition ground forces in Afghanistan Jan. 10, killing as many as 150 insurgents. CENTAF deputy command, Maj. Gen. William Holland called it a “perfect example” in the “flexibility and combat capability” of combined air assets. The action took place in the Paktika province, where two large groups of insurgents moving across the border from Pakistan were tracked as they launched an attack against coalition ground forces.
The Air Force is accelerating its plans to field an MQ-9A replacement in the wake of heavy Reaper losses in operations against Iran, top officials said Sept. 3, and they’re targeting a price point of just $10 million per aircraft.
