According to a 13th Air Force spokesman in Hawaii, the contingent of F-22A Raptors flying from Hickam AFB, Hawaii, to Kadena AB, Japan, over the weekend returned to Hickam because “multiple aircraft” experienced a software problem involving the navigation system. The spokesman told the Daily Report that the F-22s should be back on their way to Okinawa soon. The Raptors are making their first overseas deployment, forming part of the now-routine rotation of aircraft deployed to bolster the Pacific Region’s strike force.
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.