A package of F-22s from JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, recently deployed to the western Pacific, joining an expeditionary contingent of Raptors that arrived in the region in late July from JB Langley-Eustis, Va. Elmendorf’s F-22s flew to Andersen AFB, Guam, according to Elmendorf’s Sept. 18 release. The Langley Raptors are currently operating from Kadena AB, Japan. The twin deployments are the Raptor’s first to the region since the F-22 fleet returned to flight in 2011, said Elmendorf officials. The deployments are “a prudent measure to maintain a credible deterrent posture and presence in the region,” said base spokeswoman Capt. Ashley Conner, reported the Alaska Dispatch on Sept. 18. Though territorial tensions are running high between China and Japan, the deployments are “not in response to any specific situation,” explained Conner. The Elmendorf contingent includes airmen from the Active Duty 3rd Wing and Air Force Reserve Command’s 477th Fighter Group. The latter unit earlier this month reached full operational capability.
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.