Maj. Gen. Richard Webber, the first commander of the 24th Air Force, USAF’s cyber arm, relinquished command to Maj. Gen. Suzanne Vautrinot during a ceremony at Lackland AFB, Tex. Under Webber’s leadership, 24th AF went from activation to full operational capability in just 14 months. It also became the Air Force’s operational component of US Cyber Command. “Clearly these are historic achievements and it’s a testament to Dick Webber’s leadership skills to harness the talents of this outstanding group of professionals and, by any measure, he has built an incredible team,” said Gen. William Shelton, Air Force Space Command boss, who presided over the April 29 change-of-command ceremony. Webber is retiring, effective July 1, after 36 years of service. Vautrinot most recently served as the special assistant to the Air Force vice chief in Washington, D.C. (Lackland release by TSgt. Scott McNabb)
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.