An 
F-15E launched a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile over White Sands Missile Range, N.M., in a recent test. The missile then successfully destroyed the intended target, thereby completing the integration of the stealthy cruise missile on the multirole fighter, announced Lockheed Martin, the missile’s maker. “The F-15E is the sixth platform for this reliable and high-performing cruise missile,” said Lockheed Martin’s JASSM Program Director Alan Jackson in the company’s July 26 release. “JASSM on the F-15E will enhance that tactical fighter’s capabilities by broadening the range of options available,” he added. The F-15E-JASSM integration marked the first time that the Air Force has added a missile to an aircraft’s weapon’s portfolio using the Universal Armament Interface, according to Lockheed Martin. UAI is designed to simplify the integration without major changes to the aircraft’s operational flight program software. JASSM is also cleared for use on B-1s, B-2s, B-52s, F-16s, and Australian F/A-18s.
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.