Airlifting 39,000 pounds of cargo on Aug. 23 to soldiers and marines in the eastern region of Afghanistan was just another daily mission for airmen of the 745th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, troops who fly and maintain the C-130s now deployed to Bagram Air Base there. USAF installed the C-130 unit in Afghanistan because the Hercules can handle such short haul missions into rough terrain.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.