USAF details increased UAV strikes in Afghanistan

The percentage of weapons dropped by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in terms of the overall number of weapons released over Afghanistan by the US Air Force (USAF) nearly doubled in 2012 compared with the previous three years, figures released by the service in early November reveal.

According to the figures released by Air Force Central Command (AFCENT), 333 of the 3,600 (9.8%) weapon releases over Afghanistan so far in 2012 have involved UAVs. This compares with 294 of 5,409 (5.5%) in 2011; 278 of 5,102 (5.5%) in 2010; and 255 of 4,163 (6%) in 2009.

The release of these figures, which are current as of 31 October, represents the first time that the US military has disclosed the specifics of its kinetic UAV operations, in Afghanistan or in any other theatre.