US and Japanese civilian and military assets on July 22 retrieved an F-16 pilot from the waters of the north Pacific after his airplane splashed down about 250 miles northeast of Hokkaido Island, Japan, on the previous day, according to Air Force officials. The pilot, assigned to the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa AB, Japan, was in stable condition aboard a US commercial vessel, they said in a release. He was en route from Misawa to North America on July 21 when he had to eject from the F-16, states a Misawa release. “The men and women of US Forces Japan are extremely grateful for the successful and safe recovery of our pilot,” said Lt. Gen. Sam Angelella, US Forces Japan commander, in a July 22 statement. He thanked the Japanese for their help in locating the pilot and coordinating his recovery. The Air Force is investigating the mishap to determine its cause.
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.