Among the 48 close air support missions flown by coalition aircraft on June 16 in Afghanistan were sorties by A-10s against enemy combatants in Bagram, Air Forces Central said in a June 17 statement. These Warthogs fired cannon rounds and attacked with 500-pound laser-guided bombs, successfully taking out the targets, AFCENT said. B-1B bombers were also active on that day, striking enemy positions near Bari Kowt with 2,000-pound joint direct attack munitions and a 500-pound JDAM. In Iraq, there were 30 CAS missions flown June 16.
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.