New York Senators believe the Air Force will assign C-17 airlifters to the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing at Stewart ANG Base sooner rather than later, so Sen. Charles Schumer (D) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) have requested funding to upgrade the unit’s C-5A hangars to accommodate the new transport, reports MidHudsonNews.com. Schumer cautioned the online news media that it’s “not a done deal, but it’s looking good.” He added that he had “good vibes” that the C-17s might arrive in “coming months.” There was concern last fall that the plan to begin replacing the wing’s elderly C-5As in 2010 had gone off track. The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that Schumer said the New York delegation is “increasingly optimistic” and had requested the funding now so the unit “can hit the ground running.”
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.