The New Hampshire Air National Guard’s 157th Air Refueling Wing at Pease ANG Base will receive about 135 active duty airmen over the summer, starting next month, reports Foster’s Daily Democrat. The active airmen will work with their Air Guard counterparts to operate and maintain the 157th FW’s KC-135 tankers in a continuation of the Air Force’s community basing program. The first such effort in Vermont was a big hit with lawmakers and, after resolving some manpower and funding issues, the Air Force announced plans in fall 2007 to extend the program to other locations. The program is so popular that some units not on the list have since tried to interest the Air Force in bringing active airmen to their location as another way to help preserve the reserve mission at that location.
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.