We asked the Air Force historian and Air Combat Command if the A-10 fleet achieved a “first-time-ever” milestone late last month when one Warthog, supporting Operation Odyssey Dawn, attacked two small Libyan ships that were indiscriminately firing upon merchant vessels in the Libyan port of Misurata. “While we know of no other recorded instance in which the A-10 was used to attack a maritime target, this is not something that could be officially verified,” Air Force spokesman Todd Spitler told the Daily Report in responding on behalf of the historian’s office. This also was the consensus among ACC officials whom command spokeswoman Capt. Shannon Collins queried on our behalf. “[T]o their recollection, the A-10s have never [before] attacked surface ships or other maritime targets,” she said.
A B-52H bomber launched a simulated AGM-183 Air-launched Rapid Response hypersonic missile at a target some 600 miles away during the ongoing Northern Edge exercise in Alaska, the Air Force said. The simulated shot was a success and demonstrated Airborne Battle Management System techniques to facilitate the kill chain for…