A C-130J Hercules and an F-15E Strike Eagle are representing the Air Force as airpower ambassadors at the Bahrain International Air Show this week at Sakhir AB, Bahrain. A B-1B Lancer and F-22 Raptor are slated for a fly-by in front of an estimated crowd of 55,000 international visitors. “We’re very happy to be here,” said C-130J pilot Capt. Brendon Duffy, deployed in-theater from the Rhode Island Air National Guard’s 143rd Airlift Wing, in an Air Forces Central Command release. “This event is just one way the United States and its allies and partners work together to promote security, stability, and mutual interests in the region,” according to AFCENT’s release. Roughly 150 joint-service personnel are representing the US in Bahrain, with additional Marine Corps fixed and rotary wing aircraft on static display as well. BIAS runs Jan. 16 to Jan. 18.
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.