Air Force Reserve Command’s 910th Airlift Wing inactivated its 773rd Airlift Squadron at Youngstown ARS, Ohio. The standdown ceremony took place on April 6, according to a wing release. A wing spokesman told the Daily Report on Monday that the squadron’s inactivation is the result of Air Force force structure changes that reduced the wing’s C-130H fleet to eight primary aircraft and one backup asset. “From its beginning, our squadron helped make our nation stronger,” said Lt. Col. John Boccieri, squadron commander, in the release. “The dedication, commitment, and sacrifice that made our success possible [was because of] some of the finest airmen in the country, who serve our nation only because they were asked,” he said. AFRC activated the squadron in 1995; among their activities, the unit’s airmen and machines supported operations in Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11, states the release. (Youngstown report by TSgt. Jim Brock)
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.