Electronic Systems Center officials at Hanscom AFB, Mass., expect to field new, transportable weather equipment in Southwest Asia as early as December. The portable Doppler radar system, developed by LaPoint Blase Industries of St. Louis, will allow operators to forecast local severe storms more accurately and detect mission-limiting wind conditions, they say. “This is a very powerful system for the end user,” said Capt. Jon Beach, PDR program manager. He added that it “will give commanders in the field a significant tool which they don’t currently have.” The system takes four people less than 12 hours to set up, meaning it can be moved around the theater with relative ease. Airmen can use it as a standalone capability to monitor weather developments or share its data through the US military’s computer network. (Hanscom report by Patty Welsh)
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.