Brig. Gen. Mike Callan, vice commander of 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa), led a team to Rwanda and Ethiopia in late March to meet with senior defense officials in both countries to ascertain how US Africa Command could assist the two nations in improving their air domain safety and security. The Rwandans expressed interest in expanding their air traffic control capacity and overall aviation infrastructure as a means to become a hub for commerce and cargo in central Africa. Among the Ethiopians’ goals is to improve their professional military education, as they already have a developed aviation infrastructure. “Both of these countries are working toward a more stable and secure Africa,” said Callan. He continued, “This means a better quality of life for people in Africa. This is in the interest of the US and our partner nations.” Seventeenth Air Force dispatched a team to Nigeria in January for talks on building that country’s air infrastructure. And, it plans to return later this month to Rwanda with a team of specialists in air traffic control. (April 14 Ramstein report by MSgt. Jim Fisher)
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.