Officials at Lackland AFB, Tex., and other military installations in the San Antonio area have launched a series of events together with local organizations to celebrate the upcoming 100th anniversary of military flight in Texas. Military aviation had its genesis in Texas on March 2, 1910, at Ft. Sam Houston when then-Army Lt. Benjamin Foulois took to the skies in Signal Corps No. 1, a Model A Wright flyer. It was the first successful flight by a military pilot from a military reservation, according to a Lackland release. As part of the commemorative activities, Lackland officials are reaching out to educate local students on military aviation history. And, starting in March, local business and civic leaders will be invited to attend basic military training graduations that will celebrate the centennial during the graduation parades. (For more, read Foulois from the archives 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.