Lt. Col. Dave Iverson has the distinction currently to be the only active duty USAF pilot to reach more than 4,000 flying hours in the F-15E Strike Eagle, according to a 48h Fighter Wing report on Jan. 27 from Nevada, where wing members are participating in Red Flag. Iverson, who commands the 492nd Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, Britain, has flown the F-15E since 1993, including combat sorties over Iraq in Northern and Southern Watch, over Bosnia in Deny Flight, and Afghanistan in Enduring Freedom (he reached 3,000 hours in 2007 over Afghanistan). Col. John Quintas, 48th Operations Group commander, said the number of F-15E hours is “not nearly as impressive as the wide-ranging contributions he’s made to the Strike Eagle community.” Iverson acknowledged the milestone but said, “With our current overseas contingency responsibilities you’ll see a lot more people break the 4,000-hour mark.” (48th FW report by TSgt. Chris Stagner)
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.