Air Forces Central reports that USAF F-16s dropped 500-pound bombs in strikes on May 19 against enemy combatants in Al Amarah, Iraq. According to a May 20 AFCENT release, the Viper strikes were among some 67 close air support sorties flown for Operation Iraqi Freedom on May 19, most providing shows of force that Joint Terminal Attack Controllers determined were successful in deterring enemy activities in various locales.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.