After 62 years of operations, the 728th Air Control Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., completed its last mission and is now preparing for inactivation, announced base officials. Members of the unit provided communications and data to a four-ship sortie of F-35s from Eglin’s 33rd Fighter Wing during the final mission on Jan. 31, according to the base’s Feb. 7 release. “Talk about going out on top,” said Lt. Col. Jon Rhone, 728th ACS commander, of supporting the F-35s. He added, “People will always remember our history, but they will also remember the last thing we did.” Last year, Air Combat Command decided to stand down the squadron after receiving direction from Air Force leadership to reduce the number of US-based control and reporting centers from three to two. The squadron was assigned to Eglin from 1992 to 2008. Unit members are now carrying out inactivation procedures. The official inactivation ceremony is slated for May 17. (Eglin report by Samuel King Jr.)
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.