Defense S
ecretary Robert Gates sat in the cockpit of one of the Air Force’s F-22A Raptors during a visit to Langley AFB, Va. Seated in the new stealthy fighter, Gates listened to a review of its attributes from Lt. Col. Dirk Smith, commander of Langley’s 94th Fighter Squadron. Smith had just returned to Langley from the first participation by the Raptor in Red Flag at Nellis AFB, Nev.
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.