The Air Force’s single F-22 Raptor aerial demonstration pilot, Maj. Paul “Max” Moga, so wowed the air show circuit that AirShowBuzz named him the Person of the Year for 2007. The Raptor and Moga, says AirShowBuzz, became a “game changer for the industry. “Without a doubt, the Raptor demo brought even the most experienced pilots to a grinding halt as they watched Moga drive the F-22 through its powerful paces,” says AirShowBuzz.com. Air Combat Command gave formal approval last spring for a single Raptor and pilot to begin public demos.
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.