Airmen past and present 
gathered at the Barksdale Global Power Museum on the grounds of Barksdale AFB, La., to dedicate a memorial to the aircrews who flew B-52s and supporting aircraft against North Vietnamese targets during Operation Linebacker II nearly 40 years ago. More than 150 veterans of the operation attended the Dec. 8 ceremony, sharing their stories and honoring their colleagues who died in the 11-day campaign that contributed to ending the Vietnam War, according to a Barksdale release. Linebacker II commenced on Dec. 18, 1972; 15 B-52s were lost during it, along with 11 additional Air Force and Navy tactical aircraft, states the release. “What all of you did 40 years ago helped shape me as an airman and us as an Air Force,” said Lt. Gen. William Rew, Air Combat Command’s vice commander, to the assembled veterans. His father, retired Maj. Gen. Thomas Rew, a Linebacker II veteran, helped present a wreath during the ceremony. (Barksdale report by Carla Pampe) (For more on the operation, read Linebacker II from the December issue of Air Force Magazine.)
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.