US Central Command on Monday denied ISIS claims that it had shot down a US aircraft near Anbar, Iraq, saying American and coalition aircraft have been accounted for. CENTCOM released a statement on Twitter shortly after the ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency reported that a US aircraft had been shot down and its crew killed, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. Amaq released the statement the same day it released ISIS’ claims of responsibility for a bombing in Germany and a suicide bombing in Iraq. On July 24, US and coalition aircraft flew 20 sorties in Iraq and Syria targeting ISIS, including multiple strikes targeting the ISIS-held city of Mosul in Anbar Province, according to CENTCOM.
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.