An Air Force general says that none of the US Air Force’s unmanned aerial vehicles is on the ground in Iran. Maj. Gen. Allen Peck told Associated Press news service that a new claim by Iran that it had downed a UAV could be real or fabricated, but it did not involve an Air Force UAV. Peck, who is deputy commander of US air forces in Southwest Asia, noted that US military forces are “not interested in doing something that’s perceived as provocative” while US and European nations are engaged in diplomatic discussion with Iran over its program development. Iran has come out with a similar report last year of a downed UAV, which was not verified.
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.
