Coalition forces in Afghanistan came under small arms fire while performing routine operations in the vicinity of Tarin Kowt on Aug. 24. The troops requested close air support, and Air Force A-10s and B-52s responded. The B-52s launched nine precision-guided JDAMS—with successful results.
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.