The need for global precision attack “has not diminished,” according to Gen. William Fraser, Air Combat Command commander. Enemies have adapted to the capabilities of the Air Force “and will continue to adapt,” Fraser told attendees at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition in Orlando, Fla., Thursday. Current bombers are aging and “increasingly at risk” against modern air defenses, which is why the new long-range, penetrating bomber program is critical, he said. It will be the centerpiece of a program combining “integrated strike, [intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance], electronic attack, [and] command and control,” he said. The new bomber will carry the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, JASSM cruise missile, Small Diameter Bomb, and, in the future, directed energy weapons, he said.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.