Air Forces Central reports that an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle had crashed in eastern Afghanistan on May 14. The brief statement said, “The crash was not due to hostile fire.” This is at least the third Predator crash in Afghanistan so far this year. There was one in February and one earlier this month.
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.