Some of the B-52s assigned to Minot AFB, N.D., will temporarily be housed at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., while Minot’s runway undergoes repairs, reported the Minot Daily News. The rest of the base’s bombers are slated to deploy with the 69th Bomb Squadron to Guam for six months as part of the ongoing continuous bomber presence there. The center section runway repairs are expected to cost $32.8 million and are the final portion of a three-year upgrade project, slated for completion in October.
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.