Air Force officials on Oct. 26 formally turned over a new a suite of navigational aids installed at Kirkuk AB, Iraq, to the Iraqi air force. This state-of-the-art digital airport surveillance system, which replaces aging and often-malfunctioning equipment at Kirkuk, was procured and installed over a two-year period through a first-of-its-kind foreign military sales effort. “Our governments, air forces, and civilian contractors cooperated not only to fund the purchase of this highly technical equipment, but to train the Iraqi Air Force personnel how to use it and maintain it,” said Maj. Gen. Robert Kane, director of the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission-Air Force. Similar upgrade efforts are underway at IqAF installations, including Taji Air Base and Al Kut Air Base. (Hanscom report by Chuck Paone)
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.
