Air Forces Central reports that USAF F-16s dropped 500-pound bombs in strikes on May 19 against enemy combatants in Al Amarah, Iraq. According to a May 20 AFCENT release, the Viper strikes were among some 67 close air support sorties flown for Operation Iraqi Freedom on May 19, most providing shows of force that Joint Terminal Attack Controllers determined were successful in deterring enemy activities in various locales.
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.