Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm hopes to snag the new Joint Cargo Aircraft mission for the state’s Air National Guard unit at Battle Creek, the 110th Fighter Wing. She is joining a growing list of state governors who are trying to secure a new flying mission for Air Guard units that will lose their aircraft under BRAC 2005. (See this item from last week and below.) The 110th FW is slated to lose its A-10 attack jets to another Michigan ANG unit in Selfridge. Granholm touted the potential of Battle Creek during a visit to the facility by National Guard Bureau chief Lt. Gen. Steven Blum.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.