Air Force Reserve Command officials plan to formally reactive the 45th Fighter Squadron during a Jan. 7 ceremony at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., where the 45th FS will form a classic associate arrangement with the active-duty 355th Fighter Wing to help train A-10 pilots. The Air Force in 2008 announced resurrection of the 45th FS, which traces its roots to the 45th Pursuit Squadron, activated in Hawaii in 1940, and previously operated A-10s prior to its 1994 inactivation. Lt. Col. Terry McClain accepted command of the 45th during a Dec. 5 ceremony at Barksdale AFB, La., home to the 45th FS’s parent unit, the 917th Operations Group. McClain, who was around when the 45th lost its A-10s and inactivated, said, “I’m excited because I can bring the 45th Fighter Squadron back into the A-10 community. (917th Wing report by SrA. Crystal Marie Jordan)
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.