The 27th Fighter Squadron at JB Langley-Eustis, Va., has won the 2010 Raytheon Trophy, recognized as USAF’s most outstanding air superiority squadron last fiscal year. The unit, known as the “Fightin’ Eagles,” flies the F-22; it’s the first F-22 squadron to receive this award. “We are truly fortunate to have been recognized,” said Lt. Col. Pete Fesler, the unit’s commander. He stressed that the squadron would not have earned the prestigious trophy without “the daily contribution of all the airmen and civilians we worked alongside throughout the year.” The unit will receive the trophy in May. Among its accomplishments last year, the squadron deployed for more than 200 days, including a stint in the western Pacific and participation—the F-22’s first ever—in a multinational training exercise in the United Arab Emirates. The 19th FS won the 2009 trophy. (Langley report by A1C Jason J. Brown)
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.