An insurgent rocket attack at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, early on the morning of Aug. 21 local time injured two airmen and damaged the front of a C-17 transport and one of its engines, said officials at the base. The two maintainers suffered cuts and bruises, they said. This particular C-17 was the aircraft that transported Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey to Afghanistan on Aug. 19 on his official visit. The incident mimicked previous attacks, said the officials. They noted that Dempsey “was never in any danger” and there was no indication that the insurgents were targeting him. (AFPS report by Jim Garamone)
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.