Seventeenth 
Air Force, the air component of US Africa Command, earlier this month hosted the first visit by a delegation of Burkina Faso officers to an American military base in Germany. The three-member group from the West African nation spent a week studying security practices at Ramstein Air Base, 17th AF headquarters, as well as Spangdahlem Air Base and the Vogelweh military complex. During the visit, the delegation witnessed demonstrations of entrance security, flightline procedures, arms room protocols, canine training, and overall base security command and control activities. Such exchanges are part of 17th AF’s outreach efforts to build partnerships with African nations. In March, 17th AF sent delegations to Rwanda and Ethiopia for talks on improving those nations’ air domain safety and security. (Includes Ramstein report by TSgt. Alec Lloyd)
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.