Air Force Materiel Command is standing up a team to define and develop future capabilities at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The group will focus on multi-domain capabilities—rather than specific platforms—that have been at the center of the Air Force’s Air Superiority 2030 study and the Pentagon’s “Third Offset” strategy, according to a release. A mix of about 10 airmen and civilians will make up the core group of planners, but experts from across the service, including operational warfighters and doctrine experts, will augment the team. AFMC Commander Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski said experimentation, wargaming, and investment in emerging technologies will be used to regain the technical edge, according to the release. The use of directed energy and hypersonic systems will likely be explored. The effort “is all about providing agile war-winning Air Force capabilities,” Pawlikowski said, according to the release. (See also: Building a Family of Systems)
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.