Capt. Michael S. Menser and crew set a recognized class record for 6,200-mile speed without payload (jet aircraft) of 599.59 mph flying from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., to Monroeville, Ala., to Mullan, Idaho, in a B-1B Lancer. At the same time, Capt. R.F. Lewandowski and crew set the recognized record for a different class for 6,200-mile speed without payload (jet aircraft) of 594.61 mph over the same course, also in a B-1B.
The Senate Armed Services Committee this week released the full text of its version of the 2026 defense policy bill—often referred to as the National Defense Authorization Act—that would allow the Air Force and Space Force to spend billions of dollars more than the services had sought for next year.