Among the 48 close air support missions flown by coalition aircraft on June 16 in Afghanistan were sorties by A-10s against enemy combatants in Bagram, Air Forces Central said in a June 17 statement. These Warthogs fired cannon rounds and attacked with 500-pound laser-guided bombs, successfully taking out the targets, AFCENT said. B-1B bombers were also active on that day, striking enemy positions near Bari Kowt with 2,000-pound joint direct attack munitions and a 500-pound JDAM. In Iraq, there were 30 CAS missions flown June 16.
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the venerable bomber in the nearly…