Air Mo
bility Command expected to deliver the 10,000th mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle to Southwest Asia yesterday. “Our Airmen are directly helping to keep our troops on the ground safer,” said Gen. Arthur Lichte, AMC commander. “I’m extremely proud of them and their efforts to speed the delivery of this lifesaving equipment to our forces.” MRAPs were first introduced in that combat theater in 2007; since then, AMC airmen have worked around the clock to transfer them there, using C-5s, C-17s, and contracted Russian AN-124s. The Air Force has carried nearly 3,000 of them, with the remainder going over on Navy ships. Charleston AFB, S.C., is the sole USAF base from which the vehicles are airlifted to theater. (Scott report by 1st Lt. Justin Brockhoff)
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.