Creech Air Force Base in Nevada is now home to USAF’s first unmanned aerial vehicle wing—the reactivated 432nd Wing. The new wing’s first commander, Col. Christopher Chambliss, called the event a “monumental day for the Air Force,” adding that it’s “equally critical to the Air Force’s most important customers, the American warfighters.” He noted that the standup was the result of about four years planning. The wing comprises six operational squadrons and one maintenance squadron and, so far, has six MQ-9 Reapers and 60 MQ-1 Predators.
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.