Gen. Bruce Carlson, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, plans to relinquish command on Nov. 21 and formally end his 37-year career in January 2009. Carlson entered the Air Force in 1971 as a distinguished Air Force ROTC graduate at the University of Minnesota and completed pilot training in 1972 at Vance AFB, Okla. He went on to fly F-4s and transitioned to OV-10s, serving as a forward air controller during the Vietnam War. He served in various staff and command positions, including commanding the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman AFB, N.M., home to USAF’s F-117 stealth fighter force. He served on the Air Staff as director of Global Power Programs and on the Joint Staff as director of force structure, resources, and assessments. He commanded 8th Air Force at Barksdale AFB, La., prior to taking charge of AFMC in August 2005. According to an AFMC feature article, Carlson and his wife, Vicki, plan to retire to the San Antonio area. (Includes AFMC feature by John Scaggs)
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.