The seven-day period ending Nov. 17 marked the busiest week of Operation Inherent Resolve, with more bombs dropped in that span than in any other since the campaign kicked off last year, according to US Central Command. Coalition aircraft, mostly US, dropped 980 weapons, supporting offenses by Peshmerga forces in Sinjar, along with Iraqi Security Forces and Syrian rebels in offensives against ISIS across both Iraq and Syria. A large number of the airstrikes were in support of Operation Tidal Wave II, which is targeting ISIS’s oil infrastructure in Syria, CENTCOM spokesman Col. Patrick Ryder told reporters Nov. 20. While these strikes have shown “increasing momentum across the battlespace” and put ISIS on the defensive through much of the region, the group has been able to make moderate gains in southwest Syria, near Palmyra. However, these advances are nowhere near the scale of previous ISIS advances early in Operation Inherent Resolve, he said.
Competitors Not Picked for CCA Look Forward to Increment 2
April 25, 2024
While none of the major aircraft contractors were selected to develop the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, all three say they are seeking further autonomous aircraft work for the Navy, foreign partners, or in the classified arena, and maybe future versions of the CCA itself.