All 64 major Air Force bases in the US are participating in Operation Change Out, the joint Defense Department-Energy Department effort to replace incandescent bulbs on military installations with new energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, the Air Force said in a release Tuesday. In the past year, beginning with Earth Day 2008, Air Force participants have already changed out more than 228,000 bulbs at these locations. The Air Force estimates that it will save $7.5 million over the lifetime of the bulbs and reduce energy consumption by levels that would be enough to power 3,841 homes for a year. Change Out is occurring under the rubric of Energy Star, the joint Energy Department-EPA program to save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices.
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.