Four B-52 bombers deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La., were refueled in the air by tankers of the Royal Singapore Air Force for the first time in May. The aircraft, assigned to Andersen’s 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, hooked up with the Singaporean tankers May 13 and May 15 during 18-hour training flights over the Pacific Ocean. “This mission helps the US Air Force foster multinational relationships, build confidence in working with our Singapore allies and, at the same time, improves our bombers’ global reach capabilities,” said Col. Damian McCarthy, commander of the base’s 36th Operations Group. The Air Force maintains. The Air Force maintains a continual presence of bombers on Guam by alternately rotating in units of B-1s, B-2s and B-52s. (Andersen report by SSgt. Stephen Teel)
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.