An MQ-1 Predator remotely piloted vehicle went missing on Nov 21 during a mission over southern Afghanistan after contact was lost between it and its human controllers on the ground, Air Forces Central announced Nov. 25. The command said there was no indication that enemy action was involved. AFCENT made no mention of whether wreckage had been recovered. A board will convene to investigate the incident. Earlier this month, Air Combat Command officials announced that investigators examining a previous Predator mishap back in April determined that electrical failure led to lost contact with the aircraft while it was flying over eastern Afghanistan, causing its subsequent crash.
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.