Members of the 19th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, in recent days took possession of the 2009 Raytheon Trophy that recognizes the Air Force’s best air-to-air fighter squadron. This is the second time since 2000 that the F-15 unit has won the award. According to Elmendorf officials, the squadron “maintained the highest-level alert in Alaska” and received an “outstanding” grade in its last operational readiness inspection. Pacific Air Forces officials announced back in April that the unit had won the trophy. It was handed over on June 4. The 19th FS is one of the units set for decommissioning later this year as part of the Air Force’s legacy fighter drawdown. (Elmendorf photo caption by SrA. Cynthia Spalding)
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.