Retired Maj. Gen. David M. Jones and retired MSgt. Edward W. Horton Jr., both of whom flew with the famed World War II Doolittle Raiders, died Nov. 25 and Nov. 26, respectively. Jones, 94, died at his home in Tucson, reports the Arizona Daily Star. Horton, 92, died in Okaloosa County, Fla., where he had lived since 1947, reports the News Herald. Jones served as a pilot on the initial evaluation flights in Florida for the Doolittle Project, precursor to the April 18, 1942, raid on the Japanese homeland by Army Air Forces B-25 bombers that launched from the USS Hornet. He piloted the bomber of Crew 3 and was among those that bailed out over China. He then served in the European theater, was shot down in December 1942 and served more than two years as a POW. He held various staff and command assignments after the war, led B-58 test force efforts, and served in other research and development positions, ending his career as commander of the Eastern Test Range in Florida. Horton, who joined the Army in 1935, served as engineer/gunner on Raider Crew 10 and after the war served at the Climatic Lab at Eglin Field in Florida. After retiring, he spent another 20 years as a civilian employee at the lab.
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.