Airmen with the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron are constructing a large new hangar at one of the main US air bases in Southwest Asia in order to accommodate more of the aircraft that operate from there. This busy air base is home to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates E-3 AWACS, KC-10 tankers, RQ-4 Global Hawks, and U-2 surveillance airplanes in support of operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Horn of Africa. (380th AEW photo caption by MSgt. Scott T. Sturkol)
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.