Keesler AFB, Miss., recently received the Air Force’s first two da Vinci Xi systems for advanced robotic surgery. Robotic systems enable greater precision for a number of surgeries, cutting down on recovery time in hospital and cost of procedures for patients, according to an Air Force Surgeon General release. “If you’re not doing robotics, you’re not going to be competitive. The reason for that is better outcomes,” Maj. (Dr.) Joshua Tyler, the 81st Surgical Operations Squadron robotic surgery director, said, in the release. One of the new systems will be dedicated to performing robotic surgery at Keesler Medical Center. The other will go to Keesler’s Clinical Research Laboratory, where a new Institute for Defense Robotic Surgical Education will focus on training medical residents to receive robotic surgery credentials.
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.