The world’s largest combat search and rescue exercise has a new planning committee. The Air Force on June 24 activated Det. 1 of the 414th Combat Training Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., which will be responsible for planning exercise Angel Thunder—the world’s largest combat search and rescue exercise. The exercise includes Air Force pararescumen and survival, evasion, resistance, and escape specialists, along with joint, multinational, and interagency partners focusing on real world and simulated scenarios. “They can walk away after being exposed to highly dynamic and challenging scenarios and learning those lessons so they don’t have to learn them in combat,” Maj. James Humphrey, director of operations for the new detachment, said in an Air Combat Command release.
Boeing received a $2.47 billion Air Force contract Nov. 25 for 15 more KC-46s, bringing to 183 the number of Pegasus tankers on contract to all customers, foreign and domestic. The new contract—for Lot 12 of the initially planned KC-46 buy—is to be completed by 2029.
