US Navy aircraft, launched from USS George H.W. Bush, are taking part in the air strikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
On Aug. 8th, the US military launched its first targeted airstrike against ISIS. The raid involved aircraft belonging to Carrier Air Wing 8 on the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier.
In October, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, F/A-18C “Legacy” Hornets, as well as EA-6B Prowler jets launched from the flight deck of the US Navy nuclear flattop currently sailing in the Persian Gulf. These aircraft are still taking part in the air campaign against ISIS in Iraq on a daily basis.
The images in this article show Hornets and Prowlers refueling mid-air from a US Air Force KC-10 Extender aerial refueler over Iraq. The KC-10 is able to refuel Navy aircraft that — unlike Air Force combat planes which have a receptacle for their flying boom — are equipped with a “probe” compatible with the so-called hose-and-drogue refueling system.
EA-6B Growlers from the VAQ-134 are also conducting electronic warfare missions in the effort against ISIS. This is a continuation of what these aircraft have been doing for several years in Afghanistan: eavesdropping in on “enemy” radio signals and jamming those frequencies in order to prevent terrorists from talking one another by radio.
The F/A-18Cs Hornets are used for bombing insurgents using Joint Direct Attack Munitions or AGM-65 Maverick missiles.
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