A B-52H b
omber from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., left the base for good on Jan. 21, on a flight to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., where it will be placed in recallable storage by the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group. This aircraft, with tail number 61-0027, is the latest of 18 H-model B-52s that Air Combat Command is retiring to reduce the B-52 fleet size to 76. The Air Force began pulling these B-52s from service last July. (Minot photo caption by SSgt. Keith Ballard)
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.
