The Pic of the Day: Do Fear the Reaper

An Air Force MQ-9 Reaper sits on the runway at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., Oct. 16, 2020.

Since 2014, when the Islamic State (ISIS) began its campaign of terror in earnest, the U.S. military, its allies, and partners have conducted almost an astounding 35,000 airstrikes against the terrorist organization.

More specifically, from August 2014 to September 2020, the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) launched 34,917 airstrikes, according to data obtained by the Military Times. In the nearly two months that have elapsed since the data was reported, it’s reasonable to assume that the airstrikes have crossed the 35,000 mark.

The CJTF-OIR, which at times has included more than 30 nations, didn’t disclose the kind of aircraft nor the type of ordnance used. From open sources, we know that the airstrikes have predominantly been carried out by an assortment of aircraft, including F-15E Strike Eagles, F/A-18 Super Hornets, F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning IIs (both the Air Force’s A variant and the Marine Corps’ B variant), F-16 Fighting Falcons, Tornado GR4s, Rafales, Mirage 2000s, Super Etendards, Eurofighters,  A-10 Warthogs, B-1 Lancers, B-52 Stratorfortresses, and MQ-9 Reaper drones.

Read the full article here.