West Va. Gets First C-5, and More: The West Virginia Air National Guard’s 167th Airlift Wing has received its first C-5 airlifter, the result of a deal struck in 2002 that is to base 10 of the mammoth cargo aircraft at the Martinsburg ANG facility. The Martinsburg Journal reports that the new mission—the unit currently flies C-130 tactical airlifters—will add some 200 full-time jobs. The wing will transition to the C-5 over the next two years as it sheds its C-130s. At a an arrival ceremony, the unit christened the C-5 the “Spirit of Emma,” in honor of the late wife of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.). Byrd told the audience that the 167th AW also would be named one of USAF’s three isochronal inspection sites. The Charlestown Herald-Mail quoted Byrd as saying the more than $220 million in new construction at the ANG facility “ain’t chicken feed.”
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.
