Pacific Air Forces new C-17 fleet at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, is now flying missions around the Pacific and over to the US Central Command area of responsibility in Southwest Asia. Recently a Hawaii-based C-17 supported Exercise Foal Eagle in South Korea, transporting US Army Strykers to the Korean peninsula. Meanwhile, another of the new airlifters made the first trip for the joint active-Air National Guard C-17 operation at Hickam from Hawaii to SWA, stopping over in Colorado and Germany on the way. Once in Iraq, the C-17 was to fly two missions, one to Mosul and one to Baghdad.
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.
