C-130s and airmen with the 36th Airlift Squadron assisted in a first on Aug. 12, helping Japanese soldiers airdrop onto US soil. Soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Airborne Brigade of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force joined US Army soldiers with the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment to jump as part of a simulated airfield seizure exercise for exercise Red Flag-Alaska at JB Elmendorf-Richardson. The training scenario focused on C-130s, protected by “blue air” fighter aircraft, attempting to seize an airfield while aggressor aircraft attempted to “shoot down” the aircraft, Red Flag officials said in a release. Several countries involved in the exercise, including the US, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand, participated in the scenario. Red Flag-Alaska, Pacific Air Forces premiere training mission, runs through Aug. 21 at Elemendorf-Richardson and Eielson Air Force Base.
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.
