2014 War Against the Islamic State

AGM-65 Maverick in the 2014 War Against the Islamic State

U.S. sources document AGM-65 Maverick fielding during Operation Inherent Resolve through A-10 close-air-support carriage over Syria and a Navy AGM-65F loaded onto a VP-46 P-3C Orion in the U.S. 5th Fleet area.

Weapon profileAGM-65 Maverick
SideAnti-ISIS coalition and partner forcesRoleFire SupportInterdiction
AGM-65 Maverick, Air-to-surface guided missile, Munitions - 2014 War Against the Islamic State
Image source: DVIDS VP-46 Maverick Loading

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
U.S. A-10s flying OIR missions over Syria carried the AGM-65 Maverick as part of their available close-air-support weapons load.

Sources: CENTCOM A-10 Syria Missions

U.S. Navy VP-46 loaded an AGM-65F onto a P-3C Orion while deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Sources: DVIDS VP-46 Maverick Loading

The AGM-65F is an imaging-infrared naval Maverick variant with a heavyweight penetrator warhead.

Sources: AGM-65 Maverick Fact Sheet

The dated evidence sits inside CJTF-OIR's coalition campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Sources: CJTF-OIR History

Timeline

AGM-65 Maverick In 2014 War Against the Islamic State

  1. CJTF-OIR established

    The Department of Defense established Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve to command the defeat-ISIS campaign, including air operations and strikes against ISIS.

    Sources: CJTF-OIR History

  2. A-10 OIR close-air-support carriage context

    CENTCOM reported that U.S. A-10s were flying Syria missions from Incirlik and identified the AGM-65 Maverick among the weapons a fully loaded A-10 could carry for those missions.

    Sources: CENTCOM A-10 Syria Missions

  3. AGM-65F loaded on VP-46 P-3C Orion

    DVIDS documented VP-46 sailors loading an AGM-65F Maverick onto a P-3C Orion in the U.S. 5th Fleet area during the squadron's Operation Inherent Resolve deployment.

    Sources: DVIDS VP-46 Maverick Loading

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The AGM-65 Maverick is documented in the 2014 War Against the Islamic State through official U.S. material tied to Operation Inherent Resolve. In May 2016, U.S. Central Command reported that A-10s flying from Incirlik Air Base were conducting close-air-support missions over Syria and described the AGM-65 Maverick as one of the weapons a fully loaded A-10 could carry for those missions.

A second official record comes from U.S. Navy imagery dated October 10, 2018. DVIDS identified Patrol Squadron 46 sailors loading an AGM-65F Maverick onto a P-3C Orion in the U.S. 5th Fleet area while VP-46 was deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Sources: CENTCOM A-10 Syria Missions, DVIDS VP-46 Maverick Loading

Operational timeline

The documented Maverick evidence falls within the coalition air campaign after CJTF-OIR was established in October 2014. CJTF-OIR history describes the first phase as a campaign of air operations and strikes against ISIS, followed by support to Iraqi Security Forces and partner forces in Syria as the coalition counterattacked through 2016 and 2017.

The May 2016 A-10 report places Maverick-capable close-air-support aircraft over Syria during the campaign's counterattack phase. The October 2018 VP-46 image shows an AGM-65F being loaded during the later defeat phase, when coalition and partner forces were clearing remaining ISIS-held areas in the Middle Euphrates River Valley.

Sources: CENTCOM A-10 Syria Missions, DVIDS VP-46 Maverick Loading, CJTF-OIR History

Role in the campaign

The public record supports an air-launched precision-strike role for the Maverick in coalition service rather than a detailed count of individual missile launches. The A-10 article connects the missile to U.S. close-air-support missions over Syria, while the Navy image documents AGM-65F fielding on a maritime patrol aircraft deployed for Operation Inherent Resolve.

The U.S. Air Force fact sheet describes the AGM-65 as an air-to-surface guided missile carried by aircraft including the A-10, F-15E, and F-16, with seeker variants including electro-optical television, imaging infrared, and laser guidance. For the OIR evidence, the named Navy variant was the AGM-65F, an imaging-infrared naval Maverick with a heavyweight penetrator warhead.

Sources: CENTCOM A-10 Syria Missions, DVIDS VP-46 Maverick Loading, AGM-65 Maverick Fact Sheet

Images

Conflict Context

U.S. Navy sailors load an AGM-65F Maverick onto a P-3C Orion during Operation Inherent Resolve support in 2018.
VP-46 sailors load an AGM-65F Maverick onto a P-3C Orion in the U.S. 5th Fleet area on October 10, 2018.

Sources: DVIDS VP-46 Maverick Loading

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Sources