Coalition aircrews conducted several air strikes over the weekend in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. On Jan. 29, Air Force F-16s and Navy F/A-18s and F-14s provided close air support for coalition troops under fire by anti-Iraqi forces near Al Iskandariyah, Balad, and Ramadi, Iraq. The Navy fired off one precision-guided munition. On Jan. 28, various fighters flew CAS sorties for coalition troops near Al Taji, Baghdad, Balad, Bayji, Mosul, and Tikrit in Iraq, while, in Afghanistan, an Air Force B-52, flying CAS, fired two PGMs, striking enemy forces near Orgun-E. On Jan. 27, in Iraq, a mix of USAF and Navy fighters flew CAS sorties, aiding coalition troops near Balad, Bayji, Mosul, Salman Pak, and Samarra. In Afghanistan, USAF A-10 CAS sorties helped coalition troops under fire from enemy forces near Asadabad.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.