The Delaware Air National Guard’s 166th Airlift Wing has just passed 44 years without having a flying mishap. TSgt. Mike Smith with the National Guard Bureau reports that the wing has flown 166,000 accident-free flying hours, while operating the C-97 and now the C-130. Current operations keep the unit’s eight Hercules cargo haulers flying about one million miles a year.
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.
