From 1-7th March USAF / RAF flew 309 "close-air-support" missions in Afghanistan and 315 in Iraq

Bruce Miller at Old Hickory's Weblog is always required reading, and his latest post (Sunday March 11th 2007 1.01 EST - but remember the DST !) is an essential read.

OH has been assiduously reading the Air Force Link which posts a daily combined USAF and RAF report on combat missions flown daily - Here are a few details .. you will want to read more.

A GBU-12 is a 500-lb. laser-guided warhead.
A GBU-31 is a 2,000-pound class munition guided by an $18,000 Boeing tail kit.
LP's notes in red the rest in italics is OH.

March 2:

Other F-16s were assigned reconnaissance in an area near Fallujah. A joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) member passed the location of a targeted individual who was hiding in a hole in the vicinity. The F-16s dropped GBU-12s, though the target was not struck.

This is a good example of why more independent reporting is needed on the air wars. The GBU-12 is a 500-lb. laser-guided warhead. They fired it (although the plural is used in the report) to get one guy hiding in a hole - and missed him. This was "near" Fallujah. Was this a hole out in a field somewhere? Or was it in the middle of a populated urban area? And I've got to wonder how many F-16s are being used to drop 500-lb. warheads to get one guy. Let's take it for granted that the F-16 crew had accurate information that this
guy was an enemy guerrilla... or maybe some poor guy got caught short and was having a crap ?

March 4:

In Afghanistan yesterday [Mar. 4], an Air Force B-1B Lancer dropped guided bomb unit-31s on a building near Sangin containing anti-coalitioninsurgents. A JTAC confirmed a direct hit. The B-1B also provided two shows of force, releasing multiple flares and bundles of chaff in the same area with successful results reported by the JTAC. (Bundles of chaff, do the Taliban have SAM's and nobody is telling us .. or are they just adding to the festive atmosphere ?)

In this case, at least two of the "2,000-pound class munition guided by an $18,000 Boeing tail kit" were dropped "near" Sangin.

March 6:

[In Afghanistan] Other Navy F/A-18s dropped GBU-12s and GBU-38s on two separate anti-coalition insurgent buildings near Sangin. All weapons hit the desired target as confirmed by a JTAC. Other F/A-18s also dropped GBU-12s and GBU-38s on enemy forces in a wooded area and another enemy building near Sangin.

The USAF reports 309 "close-air-support" missions flown in Afghanistan and 315 in Iraq (American USAF and British RAF combined) in the first 7 days of March.

On March 8, U.S. Air Force, Royal Air Force and French air force tankers flew 37 sorties and off-loaded more than 2.7 million pounds of fuel -- the equivalent of more than 65 full Air Force logistics readiness fuel trucks.

Picture - TOP Leaflet airdrop delivers message to Taliban

AF 60th Anniversary Flag Dedication Ceremony

Flooded Bolivia gets humanitarian relief

Airman 1st Class Josh Huffman drops warning leaflets over the mountains of Afghanistan March 6. Leaflets were dropped to warn Taliban extremists not to interfere with coalition activities. The mission was launched to help improve security and the quality of life for Afghan people. Judging by the height of release this would appear to be an exercise in futility.

Of course the other pic is of the WWE guys and gals in a RAW tribute at Bagram Air Base, December 19th 2005 (They haven't been back since) "The Divas also helped the troops get in the Holiday spirit, as Trish Stratus & Ashley took on Candice Michelle & Maria. " If you are seling Jeffersonian participatory democracy and schooling for girls, you gotta show'em what it's all about.

Makes you proud to be a soldier.