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Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing in Louisville has a new Mobile Emergency Operations Center that will enhance the ability of the unit’s airmen to support civilian agencies following a catastrophe, according to a wing release. The MEOC is a state-of-the-art, 36-foot-long trailer equipped to tap into the civilian communications infrastructure. It is meant to be towed to the scene of a domestic disaster to serve as a command-and-control hub. “It is specifically designed for use with civilian agencies, and we would deploy the MEOC at the request of the civilian community,” said SMSgt. Carol Davis, emergency manager for the 123rd Civil Engineer Squadron. The MEOC arrived in Louisville on Nov. 27, according to the release. The wing plans to use it for the first time in March during a major accident response exercise. While the mobile center will be based in Louisville, it’s meant to be a regional asset that the wing will share with other Air Guard units on an as-needed basis, said Davis. (Louisville report by AB Joshua L. Horton)
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.