Ambushed No More: Why Special Ops Forces Need Air Support
An ambush in Niger laid bare the need for a program like this. Will it ever come to fruition?
Here s What You Need to Remember: Though not yet finalized, the effort will find an airframe to provide close air support and precision strike capabilities.
In October 2017, a group of American special operations soldiers were ambushed in Tongo Tongo, Niger. The attack, spearheaded by Islamic State in the Greater Sahara militants, killed four Americans and several local forces working with the United States. The attack laid bare a gap in Special Operations Command (SOCOM) capabilities: the need for a simple, cost-effective close air support platform that could operate from austere environments in support of ground-based special operations troops. The Air Force Special Operations Command is in the process of finding a solution to this pressing problem.