Efforts of the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Group and Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron’s traffic management flight have paid off over the past year in improving the efficient use and control of shipping containers on an Air Force base in Southwest Asia. “So far, this aggressive program has eliminated more than 690 excess shipping containers and has saved nearly $800,000,” said Lt. Col. Scott Fike, deputy commander of the 379th EMXG. These airmen have led an initiative that included a physical inventory of the containers on the base and their contents. This enabled them to consolidate material in fewer containers, and return unneeded ones, thereby avoiding additional usage fees. This also freed up space on the base. (USAF report by 2nd Lt. Tania Bryan)
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.