Asked whether the directive to avoid civilian casualties has reduced sortie numbers, Brig. Gen. Steven Kwast, commander of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing in Afghanistan, said, “We fly more now than we ever have.” However, he told reporters Tuesday during a videoconference, “We have dropped fewer bombs since the tactical directive [issued in June 2009].” And, he said the number of aircraft shows of force has gone up in general, although the use of shows of force is dependent on locale because “every village needs a different solution.” According to air operations data provided by Air Forces Central, US and NATO forces in Afghanistan flew 26,474 close air support sorties in 2009 compared to 19,092 in 2008, while the percentage of munitions expended per CAS sortie dropped from about 27 percent to 16 percent. As of March 31, that ratio is around seven percent. (Select airpower stats for Afghanistan) (Transcript of videoconference)
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.