After facing sandstorms, extremes of heat and cold, improvised explosives, bullets, and countless other hazards on the roads of Iraq, the airmen and soldiers of the 387th Expeditionary Logistics Squadron formally inactivated their unit. “Today we close a chapter on a joint mission well done, but we all know the opportunity will present itself again in the future,” said Col. Scott DeThomas, 387th Air Expeditionary Group commander, during the squadron’s March 6 inactivation ceremony at an undisclosed air base in Southwest Asia. From 2003, the joint unit completed more than 1,925 missions and traveled 95 million miles to get mission-essential equipment to military units and forward operating bases throughout Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn, according to squadron officials. (386th AEW report by TSgt. Stacy Fowler)
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.