In Afghanistan May 13, an F-15E dropped a 2,000-pound joint direct attack munition and a 500-pound JDAM onto enemy positions in Zormat, successfully destroying the targets, Air Forces Central said in a May 14 release. And an F-15E dropped a 500-pound laser-guided bomb onto disabled coalition ground vehicles in the vicinity of Qalag to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. In Iraq, an F-16 hit enemy targets in the vicinity of Al Amarah with 500-pound JDAMs, and an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle struck enemy combatants in Baghdad with a Hellfire missile, 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.