US and Danish airmen conducted their first joint airdrop mission in Afghanistan, announced the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing. C-130s from both air forces dropped supplies over southern Afghanistan on Feb. 25, according to the wing’s March 6 release. “We established these relationships long ago, so when we flew this mission, it only felt natural. I thought it was flawless,” said Maj. Marcus Lewis, a C-130J pilot with Kandahar’s 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron. Lt. Col. Claus Caspersen, Danish air force C-130 pilot, said the Danes go to the United States twice a year for training, “so this was easy.” He added, “It’s smooth when we work together because we both know what to expect from each other.” Maj. Daniel Hilferty, 772nd EAS tactics chief, noted the importance of building relationships with coalition partners. “Coalition training develops a mutual respect for each other’s knowledge and capability, enabling us to execute combat missions with greater confidence,” he said. (Kandahar report by SrA. Scott Saldukas)
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.