Pacific Air Forces’? premier large-force employment exercise, Cope North, will kick-off with a new disaster relief command exercise at Andersen AFB, Guam, next month, officials announced. The Philippines, South Korea, and New Zealand will take part in the first week’s disaster relief and humanitarian assistance scenarios, including the first-ever, two-day tabletop exercise. Planners added a disaster relief element to Cope North in 2014, following the devastating Philippine Typhoon. The Air Force, Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, and Japan Air Self Defense Force will launch air-to-air and air-to-ground combat scenarios the second week of the exercises, culminating in strike missions over the Farallon de Medinilla range, 160 nautical miles north of the island. Some 100 aircraft from 23 units and nearly 2,000 US and partner military personnel plan to take part in the exercise Feb. 10 to 26, according to a PACAF release.
Boeing received a $2.47 billion Air Force contract Nov. 25 for 15 more KC-46s, bringing to 183 the number of Pegasus tankers on contract to all customers, foreign and domestic. The new contract—for Lot 12 of the initially planned KC-46 buy—is to be completed by 2029.
