DARPA signs an agreement with Boeing to develop and fly the company’s SolarEagle under DARPA’s Vulture II demonstration program, designed to produce an unmanned aircraft that can operate continuously on-station in the stratosphere for at least five years. Boeing expects first flight in 2014.
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.