An Air Force Special Operations Command PC-12 light transport aircraft crashed July 8 on the runway at Hurlburt Field, Fla., during a routine training mission. “Initial reports show the aircraft encountered wake turbulence shortly before the accident,” the command said in a statement on July 9. The three persons onboard were uninjured. AFSOC said it will investigate the mishap. The PC-12 is designed to provide intratheater airlift support to special ops forces. The aircraft has the ability to operate on short and unimproved runway surfaces.
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.