US Air Forces in Europe’s Kisling noncommissioned officer academy at Kapaun AS, Germany, in late September accepted its first Romanian Air Force student as part of the command’s international military education and training program. Plutonier (technical sergeant equivalent) Diana-Cristina Mireuta, an air traffic controller from Bucharest, is now attending six weeks of classes alongside her US Air Force peers. “I will benefit from being here, and hope to share this information with other NCOs [in Romania] when I return,” said Mireuta. Maj. Robert Firman of USAFE’s plans and programs directorate said initiatives like this course are valuable “force multipliers“ in supporting NCO development in the new NATO partner nations like Romania. (Kapaun report by MSgt. Gino Mattorano)
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.