A-10C pilots from the 357th Fighter Squadron conducted austere operations training, operating from a dry lakebed at Fort Irwin, Calif., late last month. “This capability can be vital … at locations and environments where US and coalition forces have a very limited footprint,” said Maj. Mark Malan, a 357th FS pilot from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., in an Oct. 2 release. “The A-10 was specifically designed with a more robust landing gear system to handle the stress” and is the only fighter-type aircraft in the Air Force capable of operating from unimproved strips, he added. “We maintain a unique capability to operate and integrate in a forward-deployed austere location,” but A-10 pilots seldom have the opportunity to practice the skill. Controllers with the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron deployed from JB Lewis-McChord, Wash., for Exercise Green Flag West managed lakebed flight operations, affording three pilots the opportunity to certify on rough-field operations on Sept. 22. Unit A-10s took part in a similar event in January.
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…