Members of the Ukrainian air force visited Ramstein AB, Germany, June 21-25 to discuss interoperability.issues with airmen of Ramstein’s 86th Airlift Wing. “The goal of the visit was to assist the Ukrainians in advancing and modernizing their air force,” said Capt. Brent Gaylord, commander of Ramstein’s 37th Airlift Squadron, a C-130J unit. The Ukrainian airmen visited maintenance shops, the air traffic control tower, airfield management and radar facilities, and took a flight in one of the base’s new C-130Js. “This visit [continued] the relationship between the Ukrainian 25th Airlift Brigade and the 86th Airlift Wing,” said Col. Oleksander Kulibaba, Ukrainian air force command deputy chief for aviation. He added, “We hope this relationship will continue to be developed in the future.” (Ramstein report by SrA. Amanda Dick)
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.