USAF and coalition aircraft are flying close air support missions daily in Southwest Asia—both in Iraq and Afghanistan. (See the number of CAS, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance, and mobility sorties flown by date, below and in previous Daily Reports.) On Oct. 24 and 25, US Air Force F-16s launched precision-guided bombs, striking an anti-Iraqi force weapons cache on the first day and anti-Iraqi forces the next in action near Karabilah, Iraq.
With a shrinking fleet and growing operational demand, Air Force Special Operations Command sees the new OA-1K combat scout aircraft as key to a “new era,” officials say.