Retired Gen. Paul K. Carlton, who commanded Military Airlift Command, predecessor of today’s Air Mobility Command, from September 1972 to March 1977, died Nov. 23 in San Antonio at age 88, the Air Force announced Wednesday. “His accomplishments as a commander will be remembered and honored; he embodied the core values of integrity, service before self, and excellence,” said Gen Raymond Johns, AMC boss, in a statement. Under Carlton’s leadership, MAC consolidated the Air Force’s tactical and strategic airlift assets and was responsible for high-profile missions like Operation Homecoming, the repatriation of US prisoners of war from Vietnam. Carlton was born in April 1921, in Manchester, N.H. He flew B-17s and B-29s during World War II. He was a command pilot with more than 12,000 flying hours in the B-47, B-52, B-58, KC-135, C-141, C-5, and SR-71. (AMC release)
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.