To make the Air Force’s future scheme work of having a smaller, yet more capable fighter force, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said yesterday he’ll need “everybody’s cooperation.” This means, Schwartz told attendees at his Heritage Foundation speech in Washington, D.C. (see above), that members of the active duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve better get used to the idea that “we’re going to be a smaller Air Force and a smaller Total Force.” Not everyone who has a flying mission now will have one in a few years, Schwartz said, noting that he’s shared this fact with the state Adjutants General, and it came as “no surprise to them.” Schwartz said, “All of us need to acknowledge that there are changes afoot.” He said he wasn’t making any “ultimatums,” just recognizing the realities of the fiscal situation. “The key thing is for us to prepare to collaborate on how we get there,” he said and added, “The F-35 is going to be the core of our capability.”
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.