Forty-four years to the day its crew became the first to complete 25 bombing missions over Europe, the Memphis Belle, arguably the most famous Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress ever built, is placed in its permanent home, a covered pavilion in a park on Mud Island, in Memphis, Tenn., in gala ceremonies. The dedication includes a flyby of seven privately owned B-17s.
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.