Lt. Gen. John Bradley, chief of the Air Force Reserve, told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday (see above)that he is “excited” about pairing up with the active duty 3rd Wing at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, to fly “the F-22 in an associated relationship.” Air Force Reserve Command will activate the 302nd Fighter Squadron as an associate to the 3rd Wing, which is slated to be the first Pacific Air Forces base to receive the new F-22 Raptor.
Boeing’s receipt of the 10th lot contract award for the KC-46 Pegasus this week leaves just three lots left to complete the Air Force’s buy of the tanker, although a further buy of 75 additional aircraft as a “bridge” to the Next-Generation Aerial-refueling System (NGAS) seems increasingly likely.