Following test misfires and a Nunn-McCurdy breach, the Air Force-industry team behind the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile conducted an ambitious scrub that scrutinized everything from suppliers to testing practices, ending with one of the service’s most ambitious cruise missile test series. The Air Force awarded a contract for Lot 7 in June, working toward a total of some 1,050 missiles under current contracts. The program office plans next year to start work on an anti-surface warfare variant. (Read more in Putting JASSM Back Together)
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.
