The US State Department has approved a sale of four KC-46As to Japan, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Wednesday. The estimated $1.9 billion deal would include a spare Pratt & Whitney PW4062 engine, according to a news release. Each aircraft would include the GPS and defensive systems. The release notes the aircraft would allow the Pacific nation to participate in regional security operations, but not affect the basic military balance in the region. Japan is also buying the F-35A, and the first Japanese jet, called the AX-1, took its maiden flight Aug. 24. (See also: It’s Not a Sanctuary Anymore.)
The crash of a T-38 trainer jet this May—which caused a weekslong pause in flights across the fleet—was caused by an improperly installed pin for one of the jet’s horizontal stabilizers, according to a new accident report released Oct. 30. When the pin disengaged midflight, it created the slightest amount…