Enhanced Afghan Air Force strike capability

Kabul Air Wing, Afghanistan –

An Afghan air force A-29 Super Tucano flies over Afghanistan during a training mission April 6, 2016. Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air worked daily with the Afghan air force to help build a professional, sustainable and capable air force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Eydie Sakura)

"The recent addition of laser-guided bomb strike capability is huge for the Afghan Air Force," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Justin Williams, 438th Air Expeditionary Advisor Squadron Commander.

"The Taliban like to hide in towns and places where civilians are," said an Afghan Air Force A-29 pilot. "The laser-guided bomb lets me strike those places without hurting the local people."

"Using laser-guided technology," Williams said, "the Afghan Air Force pilots are able to strike with extreme precision, limiting civilian casualties while still having a greater, more profound effect on the battlefield."

The implementation of laser-guided bombs comes just two years after the Afghan Air Force gained air strike capabilities in the A-29 Super Tucano and is part of an overall effort to modernize the Afghan Air Force and give it a lethal advantage over the enemy.