The Air Force has settled its evolved expendable launch vehicle contract negotiations with Boeing, awarding the company a $674 million contract covering four Delta IV launches per year over a 16-month period that began June 1, 2006 and ends Sept. 30, 2007. USAF already had finalized its EELV contract with Lockheed Martin, awarding $815 million for a 24-month period that began Oct. 1, 2005 and runs through Sept. 30, 2007. The Boeing action should clear the way for the recently FTC-approved United Launch Alliance to take off.
Gene Smith, Former POW and AFA Chair, Dies at 91
Jan. 19, 2026
Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died Jan. 16. He was one day short of his 91st birthday.
