The F-15E Strike Eagles flown and maintained by airmen deployed from Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, to Bagram AB, Afghanistan, have had a chilling effect on Taliban forces. Since their arrival in January, the Mountain Home airmen, operating as the 391st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, have unleashed a variety of weapons and even adapted their wing-mounted guns for close air support. One of their key advantages, the Strike Eagles get to the action fast, reports Air Force Magazine’s Marc Schanz from Bagram. (Read more at right in “Tiger Strike on the Taliban.”)
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.