On Thursday, the same day that the Air Force released the details on the cause of an F-22 mishap at Tyndall AFB, Fla., back in May (see entry below), another Raptor crashed at the northwest Florida base, announced officials there. The fighter went down about one quarter mile east of the base’s “drone” runway at 3:30 p.m. East Coast time, they said in a Nov. 15 statement. The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft and was under medical supervision on base, they said. Panama City’s News Herald reported that the fallen F-22 burned inside the base perimeter. Col. David Graff, commander of Tyndall’s 325th Fighter Wing, said the crash occurred while the F-22 was returning to base, according to the newspaper. While Tyndall is home to the Air Force’s F-22 schoolhouse, Graff said the pilot was not in training. The accident caused local officials to close a nearby highway as a safety precaution. The Air Force said it would release additional details as they become available.
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.