Flying from Hickam AFB, Hawaii, to the island of Kauai, both the Hawaii Air National Guard and active duty Air Force airmen helped deliver critical equipment being used to pump out floodwaters from the island. The Hawaii ANG’s 204th Airlift Squadron and 291st Combat Communications Squadron worked with the active duty 535th Airlift Squadron to fly pumping equipment on one of Hickam’s new C-17s. The 36,000 pounds of equipment was too great a load for a KC-135 or CH-47 helicopter, officials said, but the C-17 delivered the load overnight to the small island.
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.