The Air Force has employed the Small Diameter Bomb for the first time in Afghanistan. An F-15E Strike Eagle deployed to Bagram Air Base from the 391st Fighter Squadron at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, dropped the GPS-aided GBU-39B on a close air support mission on Jan. 27 to aid International Security Assistance Forces under attack by enemy fighters. “The [joint terminal attack controller] asked us to drop that specific weapon on that specific spot, and that’s what we did,” said Wrangler, one of the F-15E’s two-person crewmembers. An Air Force release notes, “The enemy stopped fighting and retreated.”
Competitors Not Picked for CCA Look Forward to Increment 2
April 25, 2024
While none of the major aircraft contractors were selected to develop the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, all three say they are seeking further autonomous aircraft work for the Navy, foreign partners, or in the classified arena, and maybe future versions of the CCA itself.