The Civil Reserve Air Fleet is in good health, now that the various companies participating have consolidated following an unprofitable spate 18 months ago, Air Mobility Command chief Gen. Arthur Lichte said Wednesday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference. There was risk that some participants would go out of business, but now with Congressionally mandated work, participants are generally in the black. That’s fine for now—”there is no end in sight” to the need to resupply US forces in Afghanistan, Lichte said—but he’s not sure what will happen if the effort in Southwest Asia starts ramping down.
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.