B-52 Denuclearization Plan OK: The Pentagon approved Air Force Global Strike Command’s technical plan to denuclearize a handful of B-52 bombers to keep them from counting against force levels stipulated under the New START agreement with Russia. “The proposal on how to do it so that it’s treaty compliant has been approved by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Compliance Review Group,” said AFGSC chief Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, speaking with reporters at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., Tuesday afternoon. AFGSC has “all the money laid in” to the current program of record to permanently convert the bombers to a conventional-only configuration, in accordance with the treaty implementation timeline, explained Kowalski. The command’s preference is to split the conventional-only bombers evenly between USAF’s two operational B-52 wings, but “we’re awaiting final force structure decisions,” before moving forward said Kowalski.
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.