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B-1B bomber caught fire while taxiing after landing April 4 at an air base in Southwest Asia. USAF said the aircrew safely evacuated the aircraft, and the fire was contained. A board of inquiry has been appointed to investigate the incident. This is the second B-1B ground incident since March 7 when a Lancer was damaged when it rolled into two emergency vehicles after taxiing after landing at Anderson AFB, Guam. It is the third bomber mishap already this year when factoring the B-2A that crashed shortly after takeoff Feb. 23 at Andersen. Speaking of aircraft accidents, another occurred April 4 as an MQ-1 Predator ran off of the runway while landing at Balad AB, Iraq, the Air Force said.
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.