The Air Force has recognized the combat actions of SSgt. Jeffrey Dicicco by awarding him a Bronze Star with Valor medal. He is a combat controller assigned to the 321st Special Tactics Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, Britain. During a deployment to Southwest Asia, Dicicco was on a combat reconnaissance patrol when the lead vehicle in his convoy came under attack. Insurgents were shooting rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at the troops from above, so Dicicco requested close air support. When the air support arrived about 10 minutes later, he helped maneuver it into position. “Over the course of the attack, I was responsible for dropping three 500-pound bombs and one 2,000-pound bomb on enemy firing positions,” he explained. By the end of the attack, there were 30 insurgents confirmed killed. (Mildenhall release by TSgt. Marelise Wood)
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.