During a
special ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Nov. 14, airmen gathered with family and friends to bury the remains of the six airmen who were killed in the July 21 crash of a B-52 bomber off the coast of Guam. Five of the six were B-52 crew members deployed to Andersen Air Force Base from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La. The sixth was a flight surgeon at Andersen. (Their names and photos are included in All Perished in Bomber Crash). Among those attending the Arlington ceremony were Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. The Air Force has not yet released the accident investigation board results. (Air Combat Command Nov. 19 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.