F-15Es, working with a B-1B bomber, used 500-pound and 2,000-pound joint direct attack munitions to take out enemy combatants, including an outpost, in Nagalam, Afghanistan on June 8, Air Forces Central said in a June 9 release. Also in Afghanistan on that day, an F-15E dropped a 500-pound laser-guided bomb on enemy combatants in Musa-Qala, and a second Strike Eagle destroyed enemy rocket teams in Orgun-E with a 500-pound JDAM and a 2,000-pound JDAM. In all, coalition aircraft flew 58 close air support missions June 8 in Afghanistan and 22 in Iraq, AFCENT said.
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.