The Air Force’s Thunderbirds air demonstration team flew its acceptance show on March 11 at Nellis AFB, Nev., for Gen. William Fraser, Air Combat Command boss. Fraser subsequently gave the approval for the squadron to commence its 2010 show season that kicks off March 20-21 at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., and will see the Thunderbirds fly 73 shows throughout the US and Canada through November. “The acceptance show is the culmination of the hard work and dedication by our entire team throughout the training season—from November to March,” said Lt. Col. Case Cunningham, the Thunderbirds’ new commander. The show lasted one hour, after which Fraser greeted the Thunderbird officers on the flightline and later addressed the entire Thunderbirds squadron in the unit’s auditorium. (Nellis report by Amn. Cynthia A. Haughton)
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.