Fifteen F-22s, along with a contingent of airmen, from the 90th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, are scheduled to deploy in January to Andersen AFB, Guam, for about three months. This deployment is part of a normal rotation of US combat forces in the Western Pacific region, according to Air Force officials at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Elmendorf F-22s have deployed on several occasions to Guam as part of these US Pacific Command theater security packages that provide stability and deter aggression in the region. F-22s from Langley AFB, Va., similarly deploy at times to Kadena AB, Japan. (Hickam report)
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.