Coalition airstrikes on the city of Fallujah have increased as Iraqi forces prepare to retake the city held by ISIS extremists since 2014. In the past year or so, coalition aircraft have conducted 38 deliberate strikes on targets in the city, but now are increasing the pace of operations on dynamic targets that are developing in advance of the fight, said Lt. Gen. Charles Brown, commander of Air Forces Central Command, during a Thursday briefing. Coalition aircraft also are regularly flying reconnaissance support for the advance. Every time there is a ground force on the move, an airplane is above them, Brown said.
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.