The Afghan Air Force Has Engaged A Target For The First Time

Afghan pilot walks to an awaiting A-29 loaded with unguided rockets and bombs. USAF

Warzone/The Drive: One of Afghanistan's A-29s Has Finally Dropped a Laser-Guided Bomb in Anger

The pilot used the weapon to avoid civilian casualties, but the NATO-led coalition continues to downplay the importance of this capability.

One of the Afghan Air Force’s A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft has finally dropped a laser-guided bomb in combat. That the pilot chose to employ a precision weapon for fear of hitting nearby civilians underscores the importance of the capability, despite the NATO-led international coalition continuing to downplay its significance, even as it celebrates this achievement.

On March 22, 2018, an A-29 from the Kabul Air Wing’s detachment at Kandahar Airfield dropped a pair of GBU-58/B 250-pound class Paveway series laser-guided bombs on a Taliban-controlled compound in the country’s western Farah province. The plane was reportedly carrying unguided Mk 81 bombs, as well. Crews only began training to employ the weapons in December 2017, a detail that the War Zone was first to report.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction .... this attack will be the first of many.