An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle struck enemy combatants with a 500-pound laser-guided bomb and Hellfire missiles May 15 in the vicinity of Sangin, Afghanistan, Air Forces Central announced May 16. In Nangalam, an F-15E hit an enemy combatant fighting position with a 500-pound joint direct attack munition. Also on May 15, Royal Air Force GR9 Harriers fired rockets onto enemy combatants in the vicinity of Sangin, AFCENT said.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.