Airmen in Southwest Asia are exercising their esprit de corps in much the same way as past airmen, through artwork, but not on the noses of their aircraft. According to the Red Tail Flyer, the airmen at Balad AB, Iraq, have taken to “barrier art.” The Flyer reports that nearly every unit on base has painted murals on concrete barriers. One such recent addition is the artwork of the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group, which highlights the 332nd’s roots in the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II fame.
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.