Airmen at Minot AFB, N.D., celebrated Aug. 19 the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first B-52H Stratofortress at the base. In honor of BUFF’s half century of service, a B-52 named the “Peace Persuader,” was painted with nostalgic nose art. The Minot Air Force Base Color Guard presented the colors during the ceremony and 1st Lt. Daniel Welche, 23rd Bomb Squadron copilot and a third-generation B-52 crew member, was the keynote speaker during the event. (Minot release)
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.