A nine
-member crew of a US Air Force C-130 Hercules, deployed to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, dropped 30,000 warning leaflets over the mountains of southeastern Afghanistan on March 6, in support of Operation Achilles. The leaflets, aimed at warning Taliban extremists not to interfere with coalition activities, came from the International Security Assistance Force. ISAF officials believe the leaflet drop will aid their efforts to improve security in areas where extremists and criminal elements are attempting to derail the Afghan government and impede efforts by village elders to take charge of their communities.
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.