The US military’s annual airlift and sea-transportation support of National Science Foundation scientific research in Antarctica concluded Feb. 28. Dubbed Operation Deep Freeze, the 2008-2009 season kicked off last September. Among the joint force contributions during the six-month-long season, Air Force C-17s flew 50 missions, moving 4.3 million pounds of material and 3,800 passengers. And, ski-equipped LC-130s flew more than 280 missions, delivering more than 8.7 million pounds of supplies and 2,000 passengers. “The movement of this cargo, fuel, and personnel for our interagency partners at the National Science Foundation is vital to their mission,” said Lt. Gen. Chip Utterback, commander of 13th Air Force at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and head of Deep Freeze efforts as commander of Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica. He added, “We are, in many ways, the ‘lifeline’ for their people down on the ice.” Utterback said he “couldn’t be more proud” of the efforts of the entire Deep Freeze team this season. (Hickam report by Maj. Sam Highley)
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.