F-16Cs dropped 500-pound joint direct attack munitions and a 500-pound laser-guided bomb to destroy an enemy building with underground bunkers in Tall Afar, Iraq on June 9, according to Air Forces Central. In a June 10 release, the command said these activities were part of the 26 close air support missions flown by coalition aircraft in Iraq on that day. Over in Afghanistan on June 9 there were 53 CAS missions flown, AFCENT said. This included a B-1B bomber hitting improvised explosive device and ambush teams in the vicinity of Bermel with 500-pound and 2,000-pound JDAMs and A-10s taking out enemy combatants in a building in Asadabad with 500-pound LGBs and 500-pound general-purpose bombs.
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.