The Air Force continues to post strong recruiting numbers in 2010. USAF met its active duty goal in July and far exceeded the targeted accessions in its reserve components for the month, according to the Defense Department’s latest figures issued Wednesday. The active duty brought in 1,920 new accessions, meeting the goal. Meanwhile, the Air National Guard surpassed its goal of 507 accessions by 130 recruits, while the Air Force Reserve beat its target of 671 by 116 recruits. Overall, the Army, Marine Corps, and Navy also posted strong numbers. Those components that fell short of their monthly target, such as the Army National Guard and Marine Corps Reserve, did so because they intentionally slowed their accessions since they are exceeding their fiscal year goals to date. (For a comparison, see our entry on June’s figures.)
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.