The 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas, and the 28th BW at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., will hold realignment ceremonies on Monday, marking the transition of the B-1 fleet from Air Combat Command to Air Force Global Strike Command. The move means the Air Force’s entire bomber fleet—the B-52, B-2, and B-1—will be consolidated under the command of 8th Air Force, but for the roughly 7,000 airmen involved, the transition should be relatively seamless, 8th AF (Air Forces Strategic) Commander Maj. Gen. Richard Clark told Air Force Magazine. “They will wear a different patch, but aside from that it won’t be a significant change,” said Clark. However, “behind the scenes, we’ll have more consolidated advocacy for long-range strike, and a consolidated center for strategic thought for long-range strike and standoff weapons.” Even though all three of the service’s bombers are “unique weapon systems,” Clark said “the core competency of long-range strike is something common to all” and the B-1 transition will help “build some synergy” within the bomber community. He said, “in general this is a really great move for the Air Force,” one that brings 8th AF “back to our heritage.”
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.