Fifteen USAF battlefield airmen assigned to Ft. Lewis, Wash., to provide close air support assistance for I Corps units, recently underwent CAS training with Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets as part of Exercise Twilight, held in the Olympic Military Operating Area. The 5th Air Support Operations Squadron Tactical Air Control Party airmen directed the Navy aviators from NAS Lemoore, Calif., in simulated urban CAS operations, sharing a common digital picture that enabled silent targeting. The TACP’s also practiced their “talk-on” with the Navy pilots. “Exercises like this are great because they let us refine our procedures and ensure we’re ready to support the joint fight,” said Col. Rob Evans, commander of 1st Air Support Operations Group, also at Ft. Lewis. (Exercise Twilight report from Forks, Wash.)
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.
