The Royal Australian Air Force recently flew a C-17 Globemaster III on an experimental resupply flight to Antarctica for the first time, RAAF officials announced. “Whilst this is a first for the Royal Australian Air Force, other countries, including the United States, regularly use military assets to assist with Antarctic logistics and I am confident Australia can do the same,” Australia’s environment minister Greg Hunt said in an? RAAF release. The RAAF conducted its first Antarctic C-17 mission from Hobart, Tasmania, to Wilkins Aerodrome, near the Australian Antarctic program’s base. Air Force C-17s have supported the United States’ National Science Foundation research at McMurdo Station for several years, and most recently began year-round operations using night vision goggles. The Australian government will review the results of the mission to determine whether to normalize C-17 Antarctic resupply.
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.
