Brig. Gen. Kurt Neubauer, commander of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, recently topped 4,000 flight hours in the F-16. “To the combat pilots of the past, thank you for showing the way; to today’s, seize the day with gusto. To tomorrow’s, persevere,” said Neubauer as he stepped from the cockpit at JB Balad, Iraq, following the landmark sortie, Aug. 1. Neubauer was accompanied on the mission by wingman Lt. Col. Bob Whitehouse, 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group deputy commander. Whitehouse clocked 3,000 flight hours in the Viper just last month. “I’m thankful to my fellow fighter pilots and the airmen I have served with over all those years for their example—stick, rudder, heart, and soul—and giving so much to our Air Force,” Neubauer said. (Balad report by Capt. Larry Farrell)
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.