The Pentagon announced May 4 that A1C Austin H. Gates Benson, 19, of Hellertown, Pa., died May 3 of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident near Khyber, Afghanistan. He had deployed from the 54th Combat Communications Squadron at Robins AFB, Ga. No further information was provided. (Also read Express-Times report)
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.