Airmen, family, and friends of the North Dakota Air National Guard’s 119th Fighter Wing said goodbye to the unit’s last four F-16 fighters Jan. 16—a day the state had declared “Happy Hooligans Day” in honor of the unit and its 60th anniversary. The Hooligans have flown F-16s since 1990 but date their history to 1947 when they flew F-51s. Now, the redesignated 119th Wing will fly Predator unmanned aerial vehicles and C-21 executive jets. The wing received its first C-21 just last week.
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.