Current Ai
r Force Green Flag West (GFW) participants are working with an Army National Guard Brigade Combat Team to conduct air-land training at Nellis AFB, Nev., and the Army’s National Training Center (NTC) at Ft. Irwin, Calif. The goal, according to Air Force MSgt. Joel House, is to integrate ISR assets and conduct close air support training to better prepare forces for deployment to Southwest Asia. House, who is part of US Joint Forces Command’s Joint Fires Integration and Interoperability Team, said, “NTC and GFW are great examples of how we can link traditional service-level exercises into one well-synchronized training event that benefits all participants and services. The Air Force team includes an F-16 fighter force from Spangdahlem AB, Germany, Air Force Reserve Command KC-10 tankers from Travis AFB, Calif., and joint terminal attack controllers. Capt. Craig Andrle, with Spang’s 23rd Fighter Squadron, praised the training, saying it “allows us to focus solely on our CAS mission that is so vital when we’re supporting Army maneuver units.” (JFCOM report by Casey Bain)
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.