Members of the Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing are preparing for their relocation from Kulis ANG Base in Anchorage to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, also in the Anchorage area, in less than one month. Under changes that BRAC 2005 mandated, these Air Guardsmen—more than 1,400 in all—will say their final goodbyes to Kulis on Feb. 12. The base, which has been home to the wing since 1952, is shuttering. “Although we love this area and will always be connected to it, JBER offers the wing growth as a team and a partnership that works,” said Brig. Gen. Chuck Foster, 176th Wing commander. The wing will hold a flyaway ceremony at Kulis on Feb. 12 for its C-130s and HH-60 rescue helicopters to mark the move. Some of the wing’s units have already transferred. (Camp Denali report by 2nd Lt. Bernie Kale)
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.