Officials at Aviano AB, Italy, broke ground on the new facility for the 8th Air Support Operations Squadron. Construction of the $7.2 million, 31,915-square-foot building is scheduled to be completed in June 2013. It will bring the unit’s air support operations, command section, and radio facilities under one roof and will provide more storage space for equipment, easier accessibility, and more efficiency, according to airmen at Aviano. “The new facility will provide better conditions, technical support, infrastructure, and quality of life,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Robinson, 31st Civil Engineer Squadron commander. The ground-breaking took place on Jan. 12. The 8th ASOS provides command and control of close air support and maintains mission-ready air support operations personnel, radios, vehicles, and mobility equipment. (Aviano report by A1C Jenay Randolph)
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.