Members of the Civil Air Patrol, the Air Force auxiliary, have been flying over areas of the southeast United States devastated by tornadoes last week to assist first responders and state and local officials as they assess the damage. CAP pilots from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia have volunteered their time and aircraft to capture aerial photographs of the affected towns and villages, while also providing airborne communication support as needed. As of April 29, they had flown 20 sorties in nine aircraft, shooting more than 2,000 high-quality photos. “In instances like these, when people’s lives and homes are at stake, it goes without saying that the generous and selfless nature of our CAP pilots comes immediately to the forefront,” said Mark Obrien, CAP liaison officer for Air Forces Northern at Tyndall AFB, Fla. (Tyndall report by Lt. Col. Susan A. Romano)
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.