An MH-53 Pave Low helicopter from the 20th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., made its final flight Sept. 5, landing outside the Air Force Armament Museum near Eglin Air Force Base, its final resting place. The aircraft, tail No. 73-1652, is now part of the museum’s collection. “This is a wonderful aircraft that served its country proudly for over the past 35 years,” said George Jones, museum director. The Air Force will formally retire all of its remaining Pave Lows on Sept. 30. The CV-22 tiltrotor aircraft is replacing them. MH-53s flew during the Vietnam War and have continued to be a mainstay of operations since then, including heavy use in the war on terror. (Hurlburt report by 1st Lt. Lauren Johnson)
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.