Lt. Gen.
Frank Klotz, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, told attendees Monday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference he had only 49 personnel and staff on board when AFGSC initially stood up in August 2009 at Barksdale AFB, La. Today, however, the command headquarters has grown to more than 750 and he anticipates having 800 by the end of September. Klotz also announced that by Oct. 1 he anticipates being able to confirm the command has achieved full operational capability. “We have come a long way in a relatively short time,” Klotz said, adding that AFGSC is the descendant of Strategic Air Command but is operating in a completely different environment. “We are proud of that heritage, but we are not SAC,” Klotz said. “Everyone in this command is a pioneer.”
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.