In the 29,047 strike sorties flown in the last year by U.S. Air Force planes over Iraq and Afghanistan, the gun was the weapon of choice in more than 25 percent of engagements, said U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Gary North, who commands the 9th Air Force and U.S. Central Command Air Forces.

“Air is the 911” on the battlefield, he said, using the U.S. emergency phone number.

North's remarks

North also said his and other air forces have to tell the civilian populations of their nations about their successes and needs if they are to secure the funding to buy new planes and weapons.

“We have, in some regards, become the victims of our own success,” he said Nov. 10 at the 3rd Biennial Defense News Middle East Air Chiefs Conference, the Dubai air show. “People assume air forces will be there.”

North said the U.S. Air Force has its hands full getting that message across to its own government at a time when the fleet’s average age is nearing 24 years.

North acknowledged it’s not all flash-and-dash technology that brings battlefield success today, citing reliance on older weapons for close-air support and shows of force. But he said modernization is needed, especially as high operational tempo, as U.S. and coalition partners have been keeping in Iraq and Afghanistan, fatigues airframes, corrodes metal and wears down nonmetal parts. The U.S. Air Force is hoping to secure funding for more fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighter jets.

“An air force that cannot recapitalize and modernize could face obsolescence on the battlefield and as a deterrent force,” North said.

Return to news coverage