As
of May 22, three USAF C-17s had delivered supplies to aid some 1.7 million refugees from Pakistan’s embattled Swat Valley. The aircraft, dispatched from Charleston AFB, S.C., and Dover AFB, Del., have delivered over a 24-hour period supplies that include 120,000 pre-packaged Halal meals, environmentally controlled tents, electrical generators, and water trucks. The US has pledged about $110 million in aid, following requests for support from the Pakistan government, as it battles Taliban insurgents in the Swat Valley. (Air Forces Central report one and two by SSgt. Stacia Zachary)
As the threat of Iranian-made drones grew, the Air Force rushed last year to equip F-15E Strike Eagles in the Middle East with a cheap, cost-effective way of defeating them. The service fielded the new capability in roughly a week.
