Airmen in Afghanistan continue to replenish ammunition and other critical supplies to coalition ground forces engaging Taliban fighters, delivering the supplies on the money but from higher altitudes to keep the airlift aircraft out of harm’s way. The key is the new Air Force-Army Joint Precision Airdrop System and the Improved Container Delivery System. Army SSgt. Heath Bennett, a drop zone coordinator, told USAF journalist SSgt. Carlos Diaz, “Airdropping the supplies to us is the most effective way,” and added, “There could be instances when the weather is too inclement or certain location don’t allow for ground delivery.”
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.