B-52H bombers currently stationed at Andersen AFB, Guam, completed 10 sorties to Australian training ranges and executed practice bomb runs while participating in Talisman Saber 2009, a US-Australian military exercise, earlier this month. “Our purpose was to demonstrate what we can do with the B-52,” said Capt. Sean Stavely, B-52 aircraft commander with the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron. This unit comprises elements of the 96th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale AFB, La., that have been deployed on a rotation to Guam since the end of May as part of the continual US bomber presence there. The sorties consisted of 12-hour flights from Guam to Australia where the bombers worked with other US and Australian forces. Overall, the bombers tallied more than 110 flight hours. Said Stavely: “Taking off from Guam, going somewhere a long distance away, putting our bombs on target, and then coming back to the base that we came from” is a clear demonstration of the bombers’ capability. (Andersen report by SSgt. Jennifer Redente)
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.