Capt. Mark P. Graziano, 30, who was in training as a test pilot at Edwards AFB, Calif., was killed in the May 21 crash of a T-38 about nine miles north of the base at 1:15 p.m. Maj. Lee V. Jones, a senior navigator undergoing test navigator training at the USAF Test Pilot School, was injured when he ejected from the training jet, but emergency responders to the accident site near California City transported him to a nearby medical facility, where he was listed in stable condition. The emergency response force declared Graziano dead at the scene, according to a May 22 release from Edwards. The release noted that the accident is under investigation.
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.