Several Air Force assets are part of the US military’s display of aircraft and equipment at the Aero India 2009 air show that starts today at Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bangalore, India, and runs through Sunday. The Air Force has sent a C-17 and C-130J as well as an F-16 and KC-135, according to a release from Pacific Air Forces. And, we are told, the Hawaii Air National Guard has sent its Eagle Vision ground system that processes commercial satellite imagery. A Navy F/A-18 will also be present. Variants of the F-16 and F/A-18 are in contention to be India’s new medium, multi-role combat aircraft. Overall, the government of India expects 592 exhibitors from 25 countries at the show, one of Asia’s premier aerial events.
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.