The 
325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall AFB, Fla., resumed F-22 flight operations on Nov. 19, four days after wing leadership stood them down following the crash of one of the unit’s Raptors on the base grounds. Wing Commander Col. David Graff flew one of the first Raptor sorties as the flights resumed, according to the base’s release. “I have complete confidence in the F-22 and its reliability,” stated Graff. He added, “We will continue to accomplish our mission while the safety investigation board searches for the cause of last week’s accident.” The Air Force has initiated a SIB to ensure there are no F-22 fleet-wide issues associated with the crash. The service will then conduct an accident investigation board whose findings will be publicly releasable, said wing officials. The pilot safely ejected from the F-22 during the Nov. 15 mishap, but the airplane was lost, as the photo on the right shows. Tyndall is home to the Air Force’s F-22 schoolhouse. (Includes Tyndall photo caption by Lisa Norman)
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.