A new-build C-17 transport arrived at JB Lewis-McChord, Wash., for beddown, giving the Air Force 212 of the 223 C-17s that it is authorized to procure. Airmen from the 62nd Airlift Wing and Air Force Reserve Command’s 446th AW will jointly operate and maintain the new airlifter, which arrived on Oct. 6. More than 50 C-17s call Lewis-McChord home. The Air Force has ordered 218 of the 223 C-17s to date from Boeing. (Lewis-McChord photo caption by A1C Leah Young)
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.
