Coalition air forces are providing 24-hour close air support for Operation Mountain Lion, a newly launched Combined Forces Command Afghanistan offensive against Afghan insurgents. Working with the Afghan National Army, coalition forces established security in certain areas of the country to clamp down on insurgent bombings aimed at derailing development efforts. US Air Force F-15s, A-10s, and B-52s and RAF GR-7s are currently backing up ground forces as they search out insurgent sanctuaries and supply networks. Providing intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance data are USAF Predator and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles.
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.