The F-22s at JB Langley-Eustis, Va., and JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, are flying again, officials at both locations told the Daily Report Wednesday. Both bases temporarily grounded their Raptor fleets last week after two pilots at Langley-Eustis experienced hypoxia-like symptoms during a training sortie on Oct. 20. Alaska’s Raptor’s were up and flying again Monday, after officials temporarily paused operations over the weekend as a precaution following the incident in Virginia, said an Elmendorf-Richardson spokesman. Langley-Eustis’ aircraft were back in the air by 8:00 a.m. US East Coast time on Tuesday and continue to fly the “same number of sorties as before the brief pause,” said Monica Miller Rodgers, a spokeswoman for the 633rd Air Base Wing there. However, “the commander continues to closely monitor operations,” she said.
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.