Air Mobility Command officials at Scott AFB, Ill., recently conducted the first KC-135 egress exercise to determine whether the Air Force can increase the amount of space-available passengers whom the tanker can accommodate. The Illinois Air National Guard’s 126th Air Refueling Wing at Scott supported the exercise, which assessed how many passengers one passenger monitor could safely evacuate from the tanker in 90 seconds. More than 60 volunteers participated, along with the aircraft’s pilots and a boom operator. The number of passengers varied from 27 to 54 in the test scenarios, and the number of egress sites depended on the configuration of cargo loaded on the aircraft. Test results and completed surveys will support passenger handling policy changes for the KC-135, said AMC officials. Service members, retirees, and their family members are eligible to fly on US military aircraft if there are seats available. (Scott report by SSgt. Stephanie Wade)
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.