A team from the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Center for Cyberspace Research at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, received the best score in this year’s cyber defense exercise (CDX) sponsored by the National Security Agency. This annual event pits NSA cyber security experts against students from the US military service academies and Defense Department post-graduate schools. During the five-day exercise, the teams of students must protect their respective networks while under attack by NSA mock aggressors. “This year’s exercise incorporated additional realism by adding users who perform typical tasks that end up compromising their computer,” said Tim Lacey, CCR adjunct instructor of computer science. Both of CCR’s teams performed well, but team two achieved the highest overall score. AFIT students began competing in the CDX in 2003 and have earned high point distinction for seven of the past eight years. (Wright-Patterson 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.