The 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, a contingent of airmen and 12 A-10C ground-attack aircraft from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., flew at a blistering pace to support coalition ground troops during its six-month deployment to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, that is concluding this month. The unit, known as the Bulldogs, has already amassed more than 10,000 flight hours and 2,500 sorties. Basing at Kandahar put these A-10s, which carry Sniper targeting pods and the situational awareness data link, “much closer to the fight” than had they operated out of Bagram Airfield, said Lt. Col. Michael Millen, 354th EFS commander. His A-10s flew more sorties per day, per aircraft, than any other ground-attack unit in the war theater. This included providing critical overhead firepower and on-scene command when Combat Outpost Keating came under insurgent attack last October. (Kandahar report by Capt. Kristen D. Duncan)
The Air Force is on track to reach its annual goal of graduating 1,500 new pilots that had proved elusive to this point, one year after the service launched a sweeping overhaul of its undergraduate pilot training program, Air Education and Training Command said Sept. 14.
