US Central Command Air Forces reports that coalition aircraft flew several close air support missions on Dec. 28 to support troops in Iraq. USAF F-15s flew CAS for coalition troops fighting anti-Iraqi forces near Balad, Al Iskandariyah and Al Mahmudiyah. An F-15 struck an enemy mortar position near Balad with a precision guided munition.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.