The Air Armament Center at Eglin AFB, Fla., believes the 14-foot, 2,250 pound Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile is “an incredible piece of technology” that answers the airman’s call for an affordable standoff cruise missile, reports AAC journalist SSgt. Ryan Hansen. Its range is more than 200 nautical miles, and it can operate in virtually any type of weather, using its inertial navigation and GPS to find targets and infrared seeker “for pinpoint accuracy,” says Hansen. Next up is the extended range JASSM, which Lt. Col. Stephen Davis, JASSM Block 2 Squadron commander, says will deliver its “knock-out punch from more than twice as far away.” (Read more here.)
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.