Active and Air National Guard airmen at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, are absorbing their current new mission, flying and maintaining C-17 airlifters. Pilots of the 535th Airlift Squadron last week participated in a four-ship air drop training mission, getting needed multi-element training and sustaining aircrew proficiency. The Hickam C-17s already have flown real-world missions when they aided the flood-ravaged island of Kauai. Hickam also is slated to get the Air Force’s latest fighter—the F-22.
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.