The Air Force and Army are working together “quite a lot” in order to help the former develop a new program for training hand-to-hand combatives, says Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, who heads the land service’s initial military training. “Combatives is pretty freaking tough,” Hertling told reporters Wednesday during a meeting in Washington, D.C. He noted that the Army is paying close attention to combatives-related injuries. Army combatives includes martial arts, boxing, kicking, and weapons training. Soldiers are required to wear personal protection during the final phases of the instruction, said Hertling. CMSAF James Roy said last week the Air Force intends to incorporate the hand-to-hand combatives into basic military training within the next three years. But Roy said it’s not yet exactly clear what the program will look like.
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.