The upcoming Red Flag exercise at Nellis AFB, Nev., will be the first time live intelligence gathering will factor directly into the large-force aerial combat event, announced Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency officials. Since Red Flag’s beginnings in 1975, the exercise’s “intelligence had to be faked” ahead of time and fed to units as the exercise scenario played out, explained Maj. Christopher Keown, operations director for Nellis’ 526th Intelligence Squadron, in the agency’s Jan. 17 release. For Red Flag 13-3, which runs from Feb. 25 to March 15, AFISRA will directly participate to “produce scenarios that properly represent the enemy and ensure realistic intelligence can be collected and passed,” said Keown. Intelligence aircraft orbiting over the Nevada Test and Training Range will beam back live data for analysts to collate and pass to assets in the field, more closely simulating real-world integration in theater, according to the release. “The ability of ISR and combat forces to integrate in a collocated environment provides the best opportunity to prepare for tomorrow’s fight,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Reiz, 526th IS commander. (Lackland report by Wayne Amann)
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.