The Air Force is paying Lockheed Martin $50 million to manufacture GBU-12 laser-guided bomb kits—which convert the 500-pound free fall bombs into precision guided weapons. According to Lockheed, the order represents over half the Air Force’s requirements for the current fiscal year.
F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have deployed to Puerto Rico in recent days, continuing a major buildup of U.S. Air Force assets in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking and pressuring the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

