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modified Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command C-130s wrapped up their aerial firefighting mission in Texas last week. Two C-130s from the California ANG’s 146th Airlift Wing and two from AFRC’s 302nd AW at Peterson AFB, Colo., returned to their home stations on May 6. Together with other Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-equipped C-130s from Air Guard units in North Carolina and Wyoming, they flew 111 sorties and dispensed 333,000 gallons of fire retardant from April 17 to combat wildfires that have raged in the state since January 1. These aircraft staged from Dyess AFB, Tex., during rotational deployments as part of the 302nd Air Expeditionary Group. “MAFFS enabled significant progress in suppressing the fires, allowing the citizens of Texas begin recovery,” said Col. Jay Pittman, 302nd AEG commander. Peterson C-130s also helped fight wildfires in northern Mexico. (Tyndall report by Tom Saunders)
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.