Nearly 30 firefighters at Sheppard AFB, Tex., helped battle fast-moving wildfires near base housing and played a key role in preventing them from wreaking greater havoc. “We made the decision early on to take two of our crash vehicles from the airfield, and that gave us the ability to put a lot of water on the fire very quickly and stop the spread of fire to adjacent homes,” said Sheppard Fire Chief David Mounsey. “The Wichita Falls fire chief stated that the prompt response of the crash trucks prevented the loss of additional homes.” The April 15 fires did destroy three homes, including one belonging to a Sheppard airman, and forced the evacuation of one of the base’s military housing areas and two nearby elementary schools. (Sheppard release)
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.