Direct proof of use
The documented Afghanistan record for this broad class centers on the U.S. 2.75-inch Folding Fin Aerial Rocket and Hydra-70 family. U.S. Army reporting says the Hydra-70 system contributed in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, identifying it as the later configuration of the 2.75-inch FFAR system and as an air-to-ground rocket with multiple warhead options.
More specific Afghanistan records identify aircraft and locations. U.S. Air Forces Central reported that 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron A-10s at Bagram Airfield employed 2.75-inch rockets during Operation Enduring Freedom, and DVIDS documented Task Force Tigershark AH-64E crews loading a Hydra 70 rocket at Jalalabad Airfield for an Operation Freedom's Sentinel mission.
Sources: More Hydra-70 Rockets On Way, AFCENT Flying Tigers Afghanistan, DVIDS Rocket Loading
Timeline
By July 2009, A-10s from the 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron had flown thousands of combat hours from Bagram Airfield and had employed 2.75-inch rockets among the weapons used in support of troops on the ground.
On 2017-04-25, DVIDS photographed an AH-64E Apache ground crew at Jalalabad Airfield loading a Hydra 70 rocket for a mission supporting Train, Advise and Assist Command-East and U.S. Forces Afghanistan. That record places the same representative rocket family in the later Operation Freedom's Sentinel phase.
Sources: AFCENT Flying Tigers Afghanistan, DVIDS Rocket Loading
Narrative
Air-to-ground rocket is a class label in this catalog, so the Afghanistan page is limited to representative aircraft rockets that sources directly connect to the war. The supported family is the U.S. 2.75-inch FFAR/Hydra-70 line, not every Soviet, U.S., or NATO air-launched rocket type.
The cited Afghanistan evidence shows aircraft-launched fire support by U.S.-led forces. AFCENT tied A-10 rocket employment at Bagram to close-air-support missions, while the U.S. Air Force fact sheet lists unguided and laser-guided 2.75-inch rockets among A-10C armament. The DVIDS Jalalabad record documents Hydra 70 fielding on AH-64E Apaches, and the U.S. Army Apache fact sheet lists Hydra-70 2.75-inch rockets as part of the AH-64D/E armament set.
The record therefore supports a close-air-support and attack-aviation role for the class in Afghanistan, with the United States, NATO, and Afghan government side represented through U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army aircraft.
Sources: AFCENT Flying Tigers Afghanistan, DVIDS Rocket Loading, Air Force A-10C Fact Sheet, Army Apache AH-64D/E PDF
