Eight airmen were injured last week at Nellis AFB, Nev., when an outdoor shelter that shades aircraft on the flight line collapsed under the force of extreme winds. The airmen suffered minor injuries, were evacuated to the base hospital for treatment, and subsequently discharged, according to a Nellis release. Eleven F-16s and two A-10s were in individual bays under the canopy at the time. Nellis officials said the incident is under investigation and they are assessing the full extent of the damage to the aircraft and other items. They described the Sept 8 event as a microburst—a sudden, violent downdraft of air over a small area. The base experienced wind gusts as high as 67 miles per hour that day, reported the Las Vegas Sun.
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.