The Air National Guard’s 183rd Fighter Wing, Springfield, Ill., loses it F-16 fighters under BRAC 2005, and, like other states that got BRACed, it wants to line up a new mission. Illinois has one advantage over many other states because BRAC made the Springfield facility the site of a new Centralized Engine Repair Facility for F-16 engines. Still, Col. Michael Meyer, the 183rd’s commanding officer, told the State Journal-Register that possible missions include operating Predator UAVs (we’ve heard this before), training foreign pilots, trading their F-16s for F-15s (that would be sour news to reserve units giving up their F-15s under BRAC), or building bombs.
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.