ACC plans to upgrade its F-15E Strike Eagles with new avionics, Keys said. “We’re about out of memory and processing power” in the current system, he said. With this upgrade, called “Golden Eagle,” the youngest F-15Es in the USAF inventory can continue in service at least another 15 years.
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.