The Air Force has used the GBU-54 bomb for the first time in combat in Afghanistan. An F-16 deployed to Bagram Airfield from Aviano AB, Italy, recently dropped a GBU-54 during a combat sortie, according to Bagram officials. The GBU-54 is a 500-pound joint direct attack munition with the addition of a laser-guidance kit, giving it the name Laser JDAM. That addition allows the munition to strike moving targets precisely, just as it can accurately strike stationary objects via its GPS-aided guidance package. This weapon “allows the ground commander more flexibility to attack a variety of targets in a variety of environments and situations,” said Capt. Nick Ilchena, an Aviano F-16 pilot deployed to Bagram. The GBU-54 made its combat debut in August 2008 in Iraq. It was developed in 17 months to meet a combatant commander’s urgent operational need. (Bagram report by TSgt. Drew Nystrom)
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.