Air Force mobility crews moved about 2.5 million pounds of Army cargo in and out of Afghanistan in about a month of operations, the Air Force announced. Six aircrews deployed from Dover AFB, Del., and Travis AFB, Calif., flew three C-5Ms between Afghanistan and Rota Naval Station, Spain, to load equipment on and off Navy ships as part of the retrograde from Afghanistan. The aircrews also provided assistance to a deploying Army brigade. The operation, known as Rota Stage, ran from Dec. 6, 2015, to Jan. 2, according to an 18th Air Force release. The aircrews flew 82 sorties, deploying helicopters for the 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Combat Aviation Brigade to Afghanistan, while redeploying choppers for the 101st Airborne Division’s 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, according to the release. “It was a bit like a puzzle, trying to get all the pieces together,” said Maj. Aaron Suire, a pilot with the 9th Airlift Squadron. “It definitely was a big operation, a lot of moving parts.”
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.
