Lt. Col. David Dressel on Nov. 21 flew past the 3,000-flying hour mark during a close air support mission over Afghanistan. He expects to reach 500 combat flying hours during his current deployment to Bagram AB, Afghanistan, from the 75th Fighter Squadron at Moody AFB, Ga. Dressel flew his first combat missions during Operation Desert Storm and continued in Operation Southern Watch and in current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 18-year Air Force veteran says: Back home you rate your success on how well you performed. Here, you rate your success on how well the ground guys do. Our success comes down to whether or not the ground commander was able to accomplish his mission.” (Bagram report by SSgt. Rachel Martinez)
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.