Direct proof of use
CEASAR was documented in Afghanistan as an Army airborne electronic-attack system operated by Task Force CEASAR from Kandahar Airfield. A March 2012 National Guard report identified the detachment at Kandahar Airfield, described CEASAR as a device built for aerial jamming and other electronic-warfare operations from two fixed-wing aircraft, and said the unit had arrived in Afghanistan in August 2011.
The same report described CEASAR's mission as radio-frequency jamming intended to deny enemy coordination at selected times and places while supporting coalition forces. It also reported more than 960 flying hours in support of over 300 combat missions in southern Afghanistan.
Sources: National Guard Task Force CEASAR Afghanistan
Timeline
The public record places Task Force CEASAR in Afghanistan by August 2011. By March 2012, the detachment had accumulated the reported 960-plus flying hours and 300-plus combat missions in southern Afghanistan.
Follow-on reporting kept the Afghanistan deployment in view after the initial National Guard account. In 2013, Raytheon described CEASAR as a combat-proven manned program that mounted the pod on Beechcraft King Air C-12 aircraft and provided beyond-line-of-sight jamming to support ground troop operations. In January 2014, Geospatial World, citing a Dynamic Aviation contract, reported continued operation, sustainment, and integration work for three CEASAR-equipped Beechcraft King Air A200CT aircraft deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Sources: National Guard Task Force CEASAR Afghanistan, Raytheon Gray Eagle NERO Delivery, Geospatial World CEASAR Afghanistan Extension
Narrative
CEASAR's Afghanistan role was electronic warfare rather than kinetic attack. The National Guard account framed Task Force CEASAR as the Army's initial response to an airborne electronic-attack capability gap and identified beyond-line-of-sight jamming support to land forces as the principal requirement.
The CEASAR aircraft were associated with C-12 and King Air platforms. Raytheon's 2013 release said the CEASAR pod had been mounted on Beechcraft King Air C-12 aircraft and that the later NERO payload migrated the same pod system and capability to the MQ-1C Gray Eagle. The Army's 2014 NERO flight-test article similarly described NERO as the combat-proven CEASAR jamming capability then deployed on a C-12 aircraft, with the main difference being attachment to Gray Eagle for the test program.
Public sources do not identify individual jamming targets, named tactical engagements, or specific Taliban units affected by CEASAR sorties. The supported conflict-use claim is therefore the documented fielding and use of CEASAR by U.S. and coalition-aligned forces in Afghanistan for airborne communications jamming and electronic-warfare support from Kandahar and other deployed aircraft operations.
Sources: National Guard Task Force CEASAR Afghanistan, Raytheon Gray Eagle NERO Delivery, Army NERO Flight Testing
