The Air Force on Wednesday conducted a Minuteman III ICBM flight test from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., over the Pacific Ocean. According to officials with Vandenberg’s 30th Space Wing, the missile’s single unarmed re-entry test vehicle traveled approximately 4,190 miles before hitting its pre-determined impact point near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. This flight test was one of several that the Air Force holds annually to ensure the readiness and reliability of the Minuteman III fleet. This mission was also the first flight test for the 576th Flight Test Squadron since its realignment under Air Force Global Strike Command late last year. “Our team is dedicated to ensuring a safe, secure, and effective combat-ready ICBM force,” said Col. Carl DeKemper, the 576th FLTS commander. (Vandenberg release)
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.