In two separate operations in Iraq, ground forces called in close air support aircraft, which used precision guided munitions to strike targets near Arab Jabour on Wednesday and Amiriyah on Thursday. Seven enemy fighters in a group believed responsible for a large number of vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks in Baghdad had coalition forces under “intense” fire near Arab Jabour, according to a US Central Command release. Aircraft dropped two PGMs, destroying the building in which they were operating. And, CENTCOM estimates that airstrikes killed 13 terrorists in two suspected foreign fighter safe houses northeast of Amiriyah.
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.