AEHF-2, the Air Force’s second Advanced Extremely High Frequency military communications satellite, arrived last week at its geostationary orbit after more than four months of maneuvering into position, announced service space officials. The satellite will now undergo payload activation and then about two months of testing before the Air Force clears it to assume operations, states the service’s release on Aug. 10, the same day as its arrival on station. The Air Force and its industry partners launched AEHF-2 into space on May 4 from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. Lockheed Martin is the AEHF prime contractor. AEHF satellites are designed to provide survivable, secure, and jam-resistant communications for the US military and national leadership. These spacecraft will replace the current Milstar constellation. AEHF-1 completed on-orbit testing earlier this year.
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.