The U.S. has dispatched a squadron of A-10 ground attack planes to pound Taliban targets, part of President Trump’s new strategy to eliminate drug labs that have funded the terrorists and warlords.
Those aircraft will be joined by MQ-9 Reaper drones for “armed overwatch” and reconnaissance, and HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters for personnel recovery, according to a news release.
“Under the authorities granted in the South Asia Policy, precision strikes with A-10s will hit the Taliban where they are most vulnerable: their revenue streams and profits from developing and selling illegal narcotics,” said a release from Operation Resolute Support.
The A-10, affectionately known as the “Warthog” because of its snub-nosed design, is considered the gold standard for close-air support because of its ability to fly low and slow, and rip targets with both bombs and devastating fire from its 30mm cannons.
It also is a pilot favorite because it’s difficult to shoot down, and protects the cockpit with a bulletproof titanium liner.
”In the coming weeks, the A-10’s operations will be integrated into our combined U.S. and Afghan air campaign to deliver destructive precision firepower that sends a strong impactful message to the Taliban,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Lance Bunch, according to the release.
The A-10 nearly faced extinction under the Obama administration, but resistance in Congress, notably by Arizona Rep. Martha McSally, a former A-10 squadron commander, saved the venerated aircraft to fight another day.
“I understand, my predecessor’s situation, that the budget was declining, they had to make choices that they probably would not have tried to make if they weren’t under both the sequester and the budget pressure that they faced,” said Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson in an interview with the Washington Examiner.
“Our intention is to keep the A-10 in the inventory, Wilson said. “I think we need more squadrons not less.”
The addition of the A-10 to the Afghanistan theater comes as the number of airstrikes has increased dramatically under the Trump strategy.
In the last four months of 2017, the U.S. dropped 1,874 bombs or missiles on Afghanistan, compared to only 524 for the same period in 2016, a more than three-fold increase in the pace of operations.
“The Taliban still has not felt the full brunt of American and Afghan air power,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. James Hecker, a U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
“With the arrival of new air assets and the growing capabilities of Afghan pilots, the Taliban will have a constant eye towards the sky as an integrated unified fight is aimed directly to them.”
The A-10s will join a formidable American air armada already arrayed against the Taliban, including Air Force F-22s, F-16s, B-52s and carrier-based Navy F/A-18s.
The U.S. military says the A-10s will conduct their first strike against the Taliban “in a matter of days.”
Operation Resolute Support says since November, 30 strikes conducted against Taliban narcotics production facilities eliminated $20 million in Taliban revenue.
