--- title: "The Air Force is running out of bombs to drop on ISIS" date: "2018-04-02" modified: "2020-10-21" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/air-force-running-bombs-drop-isis/" categories: - "Military News" tags: - "ISIS" --- # The Air Force is running out of bombs to drop on ISIS ![]() The United States Air Force is dropping so many bombs on Daesh (aka ISIS) targets in Iraq and Syria, that it's running out of them. Not that there are no bombs at all in the Air Force arsenal, but the Air Force's supply chain is having a hard time keeping up with the number of bombs the ISIS threat requires. --- "We are now expending munitions faster than we can replenish them," [Air Force chief of staff Gen. Mark Welsh said in a statement](). ![]() *Master Sgt. Adam, middle, NCO-in-charge of conventional maintenance, preps the KMU-572 fins for assembly onto the MK-82 munition in Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Master Sgt. Carrie Hinson)* The top Air Force General estimates at least 20,000 bombs were dropped on ISIS targets since the air campaign against the terrorist organization started last year. B-1 bombers are dropping bombs in record numbers, leaving munitions supplies in the region at record lows. Gen. Welsh called the need to replenish funds and munitions a "critical need." The Air Force now has an estimated 142,000 guided munitions and 2,300 Hellfire missiles, used in drone strikes. ![]() *From America, with love: Six GBU-38 munitions are dropped by a B-1B Lancer aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway)* In the first ten months of the American response to ISIS in 2015, Air Force fighters and bombers dropped munitions during half of their 18,000 sorties (a sortie is a single air mission with a takeoff and landing). In 2014, one third of sorties flown used weapons. The White House recently signed the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, which allowed for more funding to fight the air campaign in Iraq and Syria. In a televised statement to the nation, President Obama also asked Congress for a new Authorization for Use of Military Force in early December to provide funding for further operations against ISIS. ![]() Good thing the Air Force upgraded its B-1 Bomber fleet in 2011 so it carries three times the payload. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Shannon Hall) The American public is ready for an expanded fight against ISIS, including looser rules of engagement and a more aggressive air campaign. [Congressional Republicans are even calling for an American ground force](), which the Iraqi government has repeatedly denied. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()