MSgt. Terence Jackson with the 32nd Air Refueling Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., surpassed 10,000 mishap free flying hours while he was deployed in January with the 908th Expeditionary ARS. The KC-10 flight engineer currently has deployed again. During a recognition ceremony in New Jersey, Lt. Col. David Mott, 305th Air Mobility Wing chief of safety, said, “I know maybe just a handful of people who have accomplished this.” He added that reaching 10,000 hours without a mishap “is an accomplishment in itself.” Jackson began work on the C-141, but has flown on the KC-10 for seven years, commented on his feat, “I just follow the book.” (JBMDL report by SSgt. Danielle Johnson)
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.