More than 100 members of the Missouri Air National Guard’s 139th Airlift Wing deployed to Al Udeid AB, Qatar, in late February. While deployed aircrews, maintenance, and support personnel from the 180th Airlift Squadron and the 139th Maintenance Group along with a portion of the wing’s C-130 Hercules fleet will support Operation Inherent Resolve missions against ISIS terrorists in Iraq and Syria, according to a March 3 release.
The Air Force plans to add external weapons pylons on the B-1B bomber, both to increase the number of aircraft that can test hypersonic missiles and expand the Lancer’s loadout as USAF transitions to the B-21 bomber.