The 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron played a key role in Operation Mountain Fury by delivering essential supplies to troops on the ground, a story told in detail in the Desert Eagle. The C-130 aircrews with the 746th EAS delivered meals-ready-to-eat, potable water, ammunition, and other supplies to US forces fighting Taliban extremists in the Afghan mountains. Lt. Col. Kevin White, an Air Force Reserve Command C-130 aircraft commander, told the Eagle, that the C-130 was made for this type of flying, adding, though, that the “mountainous terrain is challenging, especially at night.” The 746th EAS flew a four-day mission that included flying multiple sorties in the combat zone from Jalalabad on the Pakistani border to outlying bases Salerno and Farah. “The supplies we delivered helped these guys survive and fight the enemy,” said veteran AFRC loadmaster MSgt. John Eichenberg.
The Air Force is leaning toward a less-sophisticated autonomous aircraft in the second increment of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the services chief futurist said. He also suggested that the next increment of CCA may be air-launched, a la the "Rapid Dragon" experiments conducted by the service in recent years.