Orlando, February 19, 2010—Still considering how best to sustain the Afghanistan surge logistically, US Transportation Command had to shift gears to include a surge of relief support for earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Gen. Duncan McNabb, TRANSCOM boss, said at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium that his planners scrambled to figure out what the requirements would be to feed and shelter about one million people. They estimated it would take about 250 cargo containers a day—100 for food, 100 for water, and 50 for other supplies. He noted that Air Force Special Operations Command combat controllers initially got Haiti’s main airport operating again, enabling three airlift missions the day after the earthquake. The next day, that number jumped to 23, and two days later 120 flights.
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.