The Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration team performed for the first time in Finland, headlining the Turku Air Show together with the Finnish air force Midnight Hawks demo group. “Finland is a great friend to the US, and I hope this is just the first of many Thunderbirds performances here,” said Lt. Col. Case Cunningham, Thunderbirds commander, during the air show in mid June. To mark their visit, the Thunderbirds added the Finnish flag to the flag panel behind the cockpits of their F-16s. Over the team’s 58-year history, its members have added a tiny flag for every country they have performed in. The panel now has 63 national flags. (Turku report by SSgt. Jake Richmond)
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.