Air Force remotely piloted aircraft have dropped 1,160 weapons on ground targets in Afghanistan since 2009, according to newly released data from Air Forces Central. That includes 255 releases in 2009, 278 in 2010, 294 in 2011, and 333 during the first 10 months of 2012, states AFCENT’s release on the airpower statistics for Southwest Asia through Oct. 31. The release is dated Nov. 7. The Air Force flies armed MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers over Afghanistan, along with various other unarmed RPAs, like RQ-4 Global Hawks. Predators carry Hellfire air-to-surfaces missiles, while Reapers operate with Hellfires and 500-pound precision-guided bombs. (See also our Nov. 13 airpower statistics summary.)
In written testimony to the Senate, the nominee to oversee the Air Force’s installations and energy enterprise endorsed the continued privatization of military housing and called for the department to think more during the acquisition process about how it will power new weapons systems when the logistics supply chain is…
