Two KC-135R Stratotankers and more than 50 F-15E Strike Eagles, which evacuated Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., in the wake of Hurricane Arthur, returned to the base on July 4. The aircraft fled to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, as the storm prepared to touch down in eastern North Carolina. “The storm passed and our combat assets are safe,” said 4th Fighter Wing Commander Col. Mark Slocum in a base statement. The flexibility of both the 4th FW and the 916th Air Refueling Wing personnel exemplified “what ‘one team, one fight’ means in our Air Force” and displayed “the remarkable flexibility of our service and the exemplary professionalism of our airmen,” he added.
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.