The Pentagon has identified the remains of 1st Lt. James L. Hull, a Lubbock, Tex., native who was killed on Feb. 19, 1971. The O-2A Skymaster Hull and another airman were flying crashed near Vietnam’s border with Laos. US forces recovered the other crewman’s body but couldn’t retrieve Hull’s, which was buried in the wreckage, because of enemy action. Investigations between 1993 and 1997 ultimately led to a crash site just inside Laos. In May 2006, a team got permission to excavate and recovered human and other remains.
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.