Air Force Space Command has directed its personnel to cease wearing flight suits, the green flight jacket, and the A-2 leather jacket by Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. This decision aims to standardize uniforms across the command and save money. “Between the expense of purchasing these items and the fact that our operations don’t involve flying, this recommendation was good common sense,” said command boss Gen. William Shelton in an April 13 release. The policy will affect about 1,800 airmen in the space systems operations and space and missile operations career fields, according to the command. AFSPC stopped purchasing the flight suits and jackets in March for its space operators. The policy will save an estimated $670,000 per year, states the 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.