Air Force and Boeing officials dedicated the service’s newest C-17 to recipients of the US military’s highest decoration, unveiling Spirit of the Medal of Honor in a ceremony at JB Lewis McChord, Wash. “Whenever this C-17 flying the insignia of the Spirit of the Medal of Honor lands, the spirit of America’s bravest will land with it, bringing hope, saving lives, and preserving peace,” said Robert Ciesla, Boeing’s C-17 program manager, during Tuesday’s dedication ceremony. MOH recipients retired Air Force Col. Joe Jackson and retired Army Col. Bruce Crandall assisted Ciesla and Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Raymond Johns in unveiling the title and honorific appliqué above the aircraft’s crew-entry door. Dedicated at AMC’s Air Mobility Rodeo 2011, Boeing delivered this C-17 (tail no. 99211) earlier this month, according to the company’s release. (Includes Lewis-McChord report by A1C Michael Battles)
The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems Inc. and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems matching $17.7 million contracts for an "Off-Board Sensing Station,” which is an unmanned aircraft that would extend a manned fighter’s sensing range and also potentially carry additional weapons for that aircraft. The cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts…