The Air Force awarded Boeing a $9.9 million contract modification to expand pilot and maintenance training for the Royal Saudi Air Force new build F-15SA fighters, the Pentagon announced. In addition to the 70 legacy RSAF F-15s undergoing refurbishment in the US, Boeing is building an additional 84 upgraded F-15SA fighters for the Saudis. The modification adds to the original $75.5 million foreign military sales contract for training on the new jets, according to the Defense Department’s April 11 list of major contracts. The Air Force Security Assistance Training Squadron is overseeing the training, which will be conducted both stateside and in Saudi Arabia, according to DOD. Boeing rolled out the F-15SA test aircraft last May at its factory in St. Louis, Mo., reported Aviation International News.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
