Two B-1B bombers and four F-16 fighters carried out precision air strikes Jan. 10 against reported al Qaeda safe havens in Iraq’s Arab Jabour area. The Air Force reports more than 40 targets were hit in the raids during which the aircraft dispensed a total of 40,000 pounds of ordnance. The air strikes supported Phantom Phoenix, the overarching operation that includes Marne Thunderbolt, the large US-Iraqi ground push to rid Arab Jabour of anti-coalition elements.
A semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone shot down an air-to-air target in a Dec. 8 test supported by the U.S. Air Force, a notable milestone in the development of the loyal wingman-type drones that will join the fleets of the USAF, other American services, and allies and adversaries.
