The 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron played a key role in Operation Mountain Fury by delivering essential supplies to troops on the ground, a story told in detail in the Desert Eagle. The C-130 aircrews with the 746th EAS delivered meals-ready-to-eat, potable water, ammunition, and other supplies to US forces fighting Taliban extremists in the Afghan mountains. Lt. Col. Kevin White, an Air Force Reserve Command C-130 aircraft commander, told the Eagle, that the C-130 was made for this type of flying, adding, though, that the “mountainous terrain is challenging, especially at night.” The 746th EAS flew a four-day mission that included flying multiple sorties in the combat zone from Jalalabad on the Pakistani border to outlying bases Salerno and Farah. “The supplies we delivered helped these guys survive and fight the enemy,” said veteran AFRC loadmaster MSgt. John Eichenberg.
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.