Fighters Strike Enemy Caves In Afghanistan

Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles from the 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron struck two caves with precision-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions near Asadabad, Afghanistan, last week.

The caves, carved into the side of a 7,000-foot-tall mountain, were used by enemy forces to store weapons and launch attacks against coalition forces. The strike was planned at the Combined Air Operations Center in support of Operation Mountain Lion.

The aircrew conducting the strike observed secondary explosions, indicating the presence of a cache of explosives or munitions in the cave. Damage assessments indicate that the caves were destroyed. The strike is intended to deny the enemy use of the caves for launching mortar and rocket attacks against coalition forces.

The aircraft and crew are deployed to the 336th EFS from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.

The F-15E Strike Eagle is a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. An array of avionics and electronics systems gives the F-15E the capability to fight at low altitude, day or night, and in all weather. The aircraft uses two crew members, a pilot and a weapon systems officer.

Previous models of the F-15 are assigned air-to-air roles; the "E" model is a dual-role fighter. It has the capability to fight its way to a target over long ranges, destroy enemy ground positions and fight its way out.

FMI: www.af.mil