An F-16C fighter assigned to the 36th Fighter Squadron at Osan AB, South Korea, crashed Feb. 25 during a routine training mission, according to officials with Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing. The pilot, whose name was not initially released, ejected safely and was transported to the base hospital, they said. A board of officers will investigate the accident. Stars and Stripes reported Feb. 27 that the mishap occurred when the aircraft had nearly touched down for landing. It did not catch fire and remained structurally intact after the crash, according to the newspaper.
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.