An A-10 ground-attack aircraft assigned to the 81st Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, crashed last week in a field outside Laufeld, Germany, a town north of the city of Wittlich. The latter is southwest of Bonn. The pilot, Lt. Col. Scott Hurrelbrink, ejected from the aircraft and sustained minor injuries, but was in good condition in a German hospital in Trier, according to Spangdahlem officials. “[W]e all are extremely grateful that Lt. Col. Hurrelbrink is okay and the aircraft impacted in a field away from Laufeld proper,” said Col. Christopher Weggeman, Spang’s 52nd Fighter Wing commander. Hurrelbrink was returning to base from a local routine training mission at the time of the April 1 mishap. The A-10 was carrying training ammunition, which a USAF explosive ordnance disposal team secured the crash site, the officials said. (Spangdahlem release) (See also our initial coverage.)
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.