The Senate Armed Services Committee has acted quickly following last Thursday’s formal nomination by the President of Gen. Norton Schwartz to be Air Force Chief of Staff to get a confirmation hearing date established—July 22. On that day, both Schwartz and Michael Donley, nominated to be the new Air Force Secretary, are to appear to respond to questioning, some of which likely will address the hot topic of the day, the KC-X tanker issue. At the same hearing, Gen. Duncan McNabb, currently vice chief of staff, is slated to appear for his confirmation hearing to replace Schwartz as head of US Transportation Command.
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.