Airmen from the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron Det. 1 at Al Udeid AB, Qatar, forward deployed to Mazar-e-Sharif to support operations and drawdown activities in Afghanistan. The group of some 120 airmen is the first forward deployed air refueling unit from the 370th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid to Afghanistan. They have flown some 400 missions since standing up earlier this year. Det. 1 also provides various services at the airfield, from security forces and maintenance, to logistics for several forward deployed KC-135s. Having refueling aircraft forward deployed has also made an impact on operations costs, as thus far the detachment has saved the Air Force about $28.3 million, while also keeping up with a steadily evolving mission in Afghanistan, said Lt. Col. Andrew Martin, the 340th EARS Det. 1 commander, in an Aug. 3 release.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.