The Air Force’s proposed force structure realignments for Fiscal 2011, issued late Tuesday, include details on the compromise deal concerning the transfer of Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve C-130s to Little Rock AFB, Ark. According to the force structure announcement, the service now intends to move 18 C-130Hs temporarily from multiple ANG and Reserve locations to support the reserve component training unit being established at Little Rock. But as new C-130Js continue to enter the fleet and legacy C-130 training requirements ebb, those C-130Hs will return to their home states. This compromise came after the initial plan involving a permanent move of the C-130s met with strong Congressional resistance. As part of this compromise, members of West Virginia’s Congressional delegation announced already on Monday that the state’s 130th Airlift Wing in Charleston will not be transferring two of its C-130s to Little Rock. (West Virginia lawmakers joint statement)
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.