Airmen 
at Air Force bases along the Gulf Coast continued making preparations for Tropical Storm Isaac on Aug. 27 as the storm worked its way up the Gulf of Mexico towards New Orleans after having passed between southern Florida and Cuba. Eglin Air Force Base in Florida’s panhandle remained in hurricane condition three as officials prepared for winds up to 52 knots and at least a foot of rain through Aug. 29. F-16s from the base were relocating to Shaw AFB, S.C., while its F-15s were headed to Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., according to an Eglin release. However, the 19 F-35s of Eglin’s F-35 schoolhouse would hunker down in hangars built to withstand hurricane-strength winds, said Eglin officials. MC-130Es from Eglin’s Duke Field were evacuated to Fort Campbell, Ky., according to a Duke release. And, airmen at Hurlburt Field, which adjoins Eglin, on Aug. 26 evacuated the majority of the base’s airplanes to Little Rock AFB, Ark., stated a Hurlburt release. KC-135s assigned MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa relocated to Pease ANGB, N.H., and McGhee-Tyson ANGB, Tenn., while F-22s from Tyndall AFB, Fla., on Aug. 26 moved to Sheppard AFB, Tex. Meanwhile, airmen at Keesler AFB, Miss., also remained under HURCON 3, as they prepared for Isaac, according to a base 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.