Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, Air Force Global Strike Command’s new boss, told airmen at Minot AFB, N.D., that the command is still “pushing hard for new helicopters” to replace its Vietnam War-era UH-1N Hueys. Kowalksi, who took charge of AFGSC on Jan. 6, made the comment during a visit to Minot, reports the Minot Daily News. “[W]e think we have the funding. We certainly have the plan lined up,” he told the airmen, according to the newspaper. In addition to Minot, AFGSC operates Hueys at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., and Malmstrom AFB, Mont., to protect the nation’s Minuteman III ICBM fields and serve in ancillary roles like rescuing stranded civilians. For years, Air Force officials have wanted to replace the venerable Hueys, but the service did not have the funds given more pressing priorities. (See also Chopper Forecast and Get on With It from the Daily Report archives)
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.