Believe it or not, weapons specialists at Whiteman AFB, Mo., have managed to fit a mock-up of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator—a 30,000-pound class weapon yet to enter production—in a mock-up of the B-2 bomber. Northrop Grumman got a contract last summer to begin the MOP integration effort for the B-2, expected to carry two MOPs in its internal weapons bays. Don’t confuse MOP with the 21,000-pound Massive Ordnance Air Blast, also known as the Mother of All Bombs for its acronym MOAB, which the Russians claim to have bested with the Father of All Bombs. (Whiteman report by A1C Stephen Linch)
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.