Air Mobility Command’s future concepts branch issued a notice Monday that it will host industry on Nov. 17 at AMC headquarters at Scott AFB, Ill., to discuss unmanned cargo aircraft concepts. Information gained from this exchange will help formulate the command’s Fiscal 2011 funding proposal for advanced technology demonstrations, the notice states. AMC is interested in unmanned concepts for air delivery of supplies like ammunition, food, and water directly to the point-of-need in distributed operations, “possibly during direct engagement.” Conceptually, the unmanned platform should be able to deliver 500 pounds to 3,000 pounds of cargo to a combat radius of 500 nautical miles, at airspeeds of 250 knots or greater, with a vertical takeoff and landing/short takeoff and landing capability of 300 feet.
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.