Airmen at Tinker AFB, Okla., working with Pratt & Whitney mechanics, recently completed repairs on the first F117 engine at the base’s new F117 maintenance shop. The Pratt-manufactured engine powers the C-17 transport; four reside on each C-17. Members of the 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group at Tinker’s Oklahoma City ALC will perform about one-third of the repair workload on the more than 1,000 F117s in USAF service. The first engine took several months to fix, but once the center matures, workers are expected to be able to repair each F117 in 60 days. Currently the 45,000 square-foot shop, with 30 mechanics, can repair four F117s at once. Later this year, once the shop grows to 96,000 sq. ft., it will employ 150 technicians and be able to handle six to ten engines at a time. (Tinker report by Brandice J. O’Brien)
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.