The Air Force is planning to build a new 9,000-acre Battlefield Airman training site on one of its existing bases to serve as the initial training center for some 10,000 airmen each year. Teams have embarked on fact-finding trips to find the perfect site, and, according to the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, one potential location is Arnold AFS, Tenn., home to Arnold Engineering and Development Center. The newspaper reports that the training facility could bring up to 800 more jobs and a $350 million economy boost to middle Tennessee. Officials from Air Education and Training Command at Randolph AFB, Tex., visited Arnold last month, gathering data for what the service is calling its Common Battlefield Airman Training site. (Read more about USAF battlefield airmen plans in our July article “Preparing for New Way of War.)
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.