The head of the US Joint Forces Command, US Air Force Gen Lance Smith, has identified a possible requirement for less-than-lethal weapons for combat aircraft such as the Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II to enable air power to respond more effectively to threats in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Speaking at the NATO Joint Air Power Competency Centre's annual air power conference in Kleve, Germany last week, Smith described low-level operations as "an environment that we are uncomfortable in".
Key missions for air power in the two conflicts include operations in urban environments, and in and around key infrastructure essential to the stabilisation of both Afghanistan and Iraq. Smith asked: "Why aren't we leaning forward to figure out how you do close air support or interdiction against people around an oil line? Why don't we have rubber bullets forA-10s, or something that isn't going to destroy the pipeline if you throw them in front of somebody that is going to get too close? It is very difficult, but we have to figure out how to use air power in this environment."
Source: Flight International