Profile
- Type
- Close air support attack aircraft
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- Entered U.S. Air Force service in the 1970s; documented in post-2015 Middle East and Afghanistan operations.
The A-10 Thunderbolt II is a U.S. single-seat, twin-engine attack aircraft built around close air support, austere operations, survivability, and the 30 mm GAU-8/A cannon. U.S. military sources document A-10C use in Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS and in Afghanistan during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, where its loiter time, precision weapons, and cannon gave commanders a dedicated low-altitude support platform.
U.S. Air Force A-10s flew Operation Inherent Resolve missions against ISIS, including 2017 combat sorties from Incirlik and Dec. 2024 strikes on ISIS camps in central Syria using A-10s alongside B-52s and F-15s.
A-10s returned to Kandahar Airfield in 2018 to support Operation Freedom's Sentinel with close-air-support and precision-strike capacity for U.S. and Afghan operations against Taliban revenue targets.
F-22 RaptorFifth-generation stealth air-superiority fighterThe F-22 Raptor is a U.S. fifth-generation stealth fighter built for air dominance with supercruise, integrated avionics, and internal weapons carriage. Although designed primarily for air-to-air combat, U.S. Air Force sources document its precision-strike role in Operation Inherent Resolve and its inclusion in the 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer strike package against Iran.
F-16 Fighting FalconMultirole fighter aircraftThe F-16 Fighting Falcon is a U.S.-designed single-engine multirole fighter used for air defense, air-to-air combat, suppression support, and precision strike missions. Its recent conflict record includes Ukrainian operation of Western-supplied aircraft in the Russia-Ukraine War, Israeli F-16I strike sorties during Operation Rising Lion, and U.S. F-16 employment in Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
EA-18G GrowlerCarrier-capable airborne electronic attack aircraftThe EA-18G Growler is a Boeing-built electronic attack derivative of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, fielded to jam, detect, and attack hostile radars, communications, and air-defense networks while retaining missile carriage for suppression missions. U.S. Navy and Australian Growlers provide carrier or land-based electronic warfare support, with recent documented use in Operation Inherent Resolve, Red Sea operations against Houthi forces, and the U.S.-Iran strike context.
F-15E Strike EagleDual-role strike fighterThe F-15E Strike Eagle is a two-seat U.S. Air Force dual-role fighter built for long-range interdiction, precision attack, and self-escorted air-to-air combat. Its conformal fuel tanks, targeting/navigation pods, radar, and two-person cockpit allow it to strike ground targets day or night while retaining fighter performance, a role documented in Operation Inherent Resolve and later U.S.-Iran combat operations.
F-35 Lightning IIFifth-generation stealth multirole fighterThe F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine stealth fighter family built around sensor fusion, networked targeting, and multirole strike missions. U.S. and Israeli variants have documented post-2015 combat use, including Marine Corps F-35B strikes in Afghanistan, U.S. Air Force F-35A escort and air-defense suppression over Iran, and Israeli F-35I air-to-air combat against Iran.