Air Force officials are working on a new vision and governance structure for modeling and simulation that will improve cross-communication between M&S users. The new structure is meant “to enhance the framework” in which they “work together, share information, and create credible and reusable live and virtual representations of the battlespace,” said Brig. Gen. William Bender, USAF’s director of warfighter systems integration. The planned revision to Air Force Policy Directive 16-10 is still in the works, but officials say the changes will help commanders assess the changing battlespace and adapt to new complexities. “We can model a campaign for 180 days of combat involving airmen and [computer-generated] entities to give us a sense of ‘what if,'” explained Bender. This includes looks at force structure. (SAF/PA report by MSgt. Angelita Colón-Francia)
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.