U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps sources document AGM-65 Maverick use and fielding in Afghanistan, including A-10 and F/A-18 close-air-support roles.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| The AGM-65 Maverick was used in the 2001 War in Afghanistan. | Sources: AGM-65 Maverick Guided Missile |
| U.S. A-10 units fielded and employed Maverick missiles from Afghanistan air bases. | Sources: A-10 Pilot Takes Aim on Terrorism, A-10 Unit Marks 10,000 Flight Hours, Getting Ready for Work, An A-10 Inspection |
| Marine F/A-18C aircraft in Afghanistan used the AGM-65E Laser Maverick as a long-range precision-strike weapon. |
Timeline
A U.S. Air Force photo caption identified an AGM-65G Maverick mounted on an A-10 at Bagram Air Base before a combat patrol mission.
Sources: Getting Ready for Work
The squadron's July to December 2009 Kandahar deployment summary listed one AGM-65E laser-guided Maverick among its employed munitions.
Sources: A-10 Unit Marks 10,000 Flight Hours
A 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) article from Camp Leatherneck described the F/A-18C Hornet's AGM-65E Laser Maverick role for long-range precision strikes in Afghanistan.
DVIDS imagery documented 107th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron weapons loaders attaching the launch mechanism of an AGM-65 Maverick to an A-10 at Kandahar Airfield.
Sources: An A-10 Inspection
The AGM-65 Maverick was used by U.S.-led forces in the 2001 War in Afghanistan. The U.S. Navy fact file for the missile states that all Maverick variants were used in the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it identifies the Maverick as an air-to-surface tactical missile for close air support, interdiction, and defense suppression.
Afghanistan-specific U.S. Air Force reporting gives a narrower combat example: the 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Kandahar Airfield employed one AGM-65E laser-guided Maverick during its July to December 2009 deployment. A separate Air Force account of an A-10 engagement states that an AGM-65 Maverick was delivered after guidance from a joint terminal air controller during a troops-in-contact fight involving U.S. and Afghan soldiers.
Sources: AGM-65 Maverick Guided Missile, A-10 Unit Marks 10,000 Flight Hours, A-10 Pilot Takes Aim on Terrorism
Publicly documented Afghanistan examples place the Maverick in U.S. close-air-support service across multiple phases of the war. A January 2004 Air Force photo showed an AGM-65G mounted on an A-10 at Bagram Air Base before a combat patrol mission, while Air Force reporting later described A-10 combat employment of a Maverick during a troops-in-contact response.
During the 2009 Kandahar deployment, the 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron flew about 2,500 sorties and reported one AGM-65E among its expended munitions. In late 2011, DVIDS imagery documented weapons loaders attaching the launch mechanism of an AGM-65 Maverick to an A-10 at Kandahar Airfield.
Sources: Getting Ready for Work, A-10 Pilot Takes Aim on Terrorism, A-10 Unit Marks 10,000 Flight Hours, An A-10 Inspection
In Afghanistan, the Maverick appears in the public record mainly as a fixed-wing close-air-support and precision-strike weapon. A-10 reporting ties the missile to ground-force support from Kandahar and Bagram, including missions over southern Afghanistan and combat patrols from Bagram.
Marine Corps reporting from Camp Leatherneck described the F/A-18C Hornet's AGM-65E Laser Maverick as a long-range precision-strike option against soft targets and fortified structures. That account places the variant in the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) Afghanistan aviation package, alongside bombs, rockets, cannon fire, and other aircraft.
Sources: A-10 Unit Marks 10,000 Flight Hours, Getting Ready for Work, 3rd MAW Forward Makes Explosive Impact
