The latest iteration of Red Flag-Nellis started Jan. 25 at Nellis AFB, Nev., where some 1,300 military members and more than 80 aircraft will match their skills through Feb. 5. The participants include USAF F-22s, F-15Cs, F-15Es, F-16s, E-3 AWACS, E-8 Joint STARS, RC-135 Rivet Joint, and KC-135s, as well as Navy and Marine Corps fighters and electronic attack aircraft. USAF units from South Korea and the United Kingdom are participating, as are some Royal Air Force personnel. RAF Group Captain Dave Bentley, said, “The US and UK have done a bang up job at close air support [in current operations], but [large-scale integration] is something at which we’re hurting.” This Red Flag also marks the first return engagement in 16 years Air Force Reserve Command’s 93rd Fighter Squadron, which operates F-16s at Homestead ARB, Fla. (Red Flag report by TSgt. Chris Stagner; report on 93rd FS by SrA. Katie Spencer;
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.