The Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom AFB, Mass., announced delivery to USAF of the 500th Combat Track II unit, intended primarily as an airborne intelligence system for mobility air forces, but also in use on some bombers, to improve situational awareness of threats and friendlies. Production of the CT II is under contract to Boeing, which noted in a release last month that the 500th system would go to support 17th Air Force at Ramstein AB, Germany. Col. David DeNofrio, commander of the 950th Electronic Systems Group at Hanscom, said that CT II is “praised by users and is a critical asset for cockpit situation awareness and threat avoidance in theater.” ESC plans to deliver and sustain CT II until at least 2016 when officials now expect to begin fielding a successor, Mobility Air Forces-Data Link Integration. (Hanscom report by Chuck Paone)
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.