The commander of the 388th Range Squadron, Col. James Reed, said the Air Force is proceeding with the next step toward increasing the airspace available to the Utah Test and Training Range. The proposal has been somewhat controversial since the airspace involved is over Nevada. The Deseret Morning News reports that Reed said public meetings are to be held next month, paving the way for a draft environmental impact statement due in summer 2008. The Air Force scaled back the proposed expansion after learning that Nevada officials thought it would negatively affect local economies.
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.