C
rews from the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett Federal Airfield are now certified to operate 660-gallon water buckets from their HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, making the wing USAF’s only rescue unit qualified for fighting fires. The wing has been operating in this role from Mather Air Reserve Base to help fight the wildfires that have ravaged large parts of California. It has simultaneously maintained its alert posture for search and rescue and medical evacuation. “Our search-and-rescue mission, coupled with the fire bucket certification, adds to the state’s broad range of fire fighting capabilities,” said Col. Amos Bagdasarian, 129th RQW commander. The wing’s certification paves the way for other rescue wings to train and be cleared for the mission. (Mather report by Capt. Alyson M. Teeter)
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.