An accident investigation board has found that pilot error led to the crash Aug. 3, 2006, of a Predator MQ-1 unmanned aerial vehicle during a training sortie out of Creech AFB, Nev. The civilian contractor piloting the UAV “inadvertently depressed an incorrect switch,” states an Air Combat Command release. There were no injuries or property damage—other than loss of a $1.5 million aircraft.
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.