Pararescuemen and combat rescue officers completing training at Kirtland AFB, N.M., will, for the first time, enjoy a dedicated facility of their own. The 342nd Training Squadron, Det. 1, has inaugurated the new Rescue/Recovery Training Center there for instruction in areas like field medicine and combat-trauma. Trainees in the final rotation previously utilized a World War II-era facility that artificially restricted class sizes to 100 students per rotation due to space constraints. The new facility eliminates that bottleneck to the training pipeline since it can accommodate up to 165 students per rotation, a Kirtland spokesman told the Daily Report Wednesday. Kirtland officials held the ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday. (Includes Kirtland 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.