The first advanced extremely high frequency satellite is set to launch on Saturday from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., according to officials with the 45th Space Wing there. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will carry AEHF-1, a military communications satellite, into orbit. Lockheed Martin, the satellite’s maker, announced Tuesday that AEHF-1 has been encapsulated in the rocket’s nose cone fairing for the upcoming launch. AEHF spacecraft will supplant the current Milstar constellation to provide survivable, global, and jam resistant communications to US and allied military personnel. Earlier this month, Lockheed announced that the AEHF ground control segment is now operational. (Cape Canaveral release)
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.