The Pentagon Sept. 23 announced that TSgt. James R Hornbarger, 33, of Castle Rock, Wash., died Sept. 12 as a result of a non-hostile incident in the Mediterranean. Hornbarger had deployed from the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Beale AFB, Calif., to support operations in Afghanistan.
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.
