Shaw Pilot Broke His Legs: When Capt. Ted Schultz of the 55th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, N.C., bailed out of his F-16 last week before it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, he suffered two broken legs, some facial cuts, and a broken wrist, according to The (Sumter, S.C.) Item. Exactly when and how he sustained the injuries has not been released by the Air Force. Shaw spokesman Lt. Bryan Cox told The Item that the Air Force would mount an aircraft recovery effort, but he did not know whether it would be military or contracted. Col. Michael Beale, the vice commander of the 20th Fighter Wing, is leading the interim accident investigation. Last fall, the incoming wing commander, Col. Bill Hyatt, instituted new maintenance procedures following an earlier F-16 crash. There is no indication that the latest crash was maintenance related.
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.
