USAF and US Navy fighters provided close air support on Jan. 2 for coalition troops fighting enemy forces near Balad, Bayji, and Tikrit. A Navy F-14 fired a precision-guided munition, striking enemy forces planting an improvised explosive device near Bayji.
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.