Three B-2s and 225 airmen from Whiteman AFB, Mo., recently returned from a deployment to Andersen AFB, Guam, where they participated in a series of training sorties and a complex 32-hour mission in support of Red Flag-Alaska 15-3, according to a Sept. 11 release. The airmen exercised B-2 operations in a deployed setting, completing more than 25 sorties and chalking up approximately 300 flying hours in the stealth bomber from Aug. 7 to Aug. 28. The deployment also featured a unique support mission to Exercise Red Flag-Alaska 15-3. Three B-2s launched from Andersen to participate in the exercise while two more launched from Whiteman to join the training, said Lt. Col. Robert Makros, the 13th Bomb Squadron commander. All five bombers hit their targets and then returned to their respective station during the 32-hour mission, which Makros said “presented flyers with challenges similar to those they will experience during combat.” The B-2 “familiarization training” deployment is part of Air Force Global Strike Command’s efforts to hone bomber operations and skills in deployed locations.
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.