Coalition strike aircraft continued to pound insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past few days. According to US Central Command Air Forces, on Dec. 23, USAF F-16s provided close air support for troops near Bayji and Al Hawijah, Iraq, while USAF B-52s and RAF GR7s launched precision guided munitions to strike caves used by insurgents near Tarin Kowt in Afghanistan. A USAF Predator UAV fired a Hellfire missile against insurgents, also near Tarin Kowt. On Dec. 24, F-16s covered coalition troops under fire from insurgents near Baquba, Iraq. That same day, in Afghanistan, USAF A-10s and a Predator provided CAS for coalition forces taking enemy fire near Khowst. On Dec. 25, USAF F-15s, conducting CAS near Balad, Iraq, launched one PGM against enemy troops using mortars; F-16s, a Predator, and RAF GR4s provided CAS near Baquba, with a GR4 using a PGM to strike an enemy firing position; and F-15s provided CAS near Baghdad. And, in Afghanistan on Dec. 25, A-10s conducted CAS for troops near Orgun-E. On Dec. 26, F-16s struck enemy forces near Balad, using three PGMs, while F-15s flew CAS near Salman Pak.
A decade and a half after awarding a contract for a new ground control system to manage its GPS satellites, the Pentagon has finally gotten its hands on the thing. The Space Force officially took ownership of the GPS Next Generation Operational Control System, or OCX, the service announced this week.…