A T-6 Texan II trainer crashed at approximately 5:50 p.m. July 9 in a sparsely populated area of Webster County, Miss., about 40 miles west of Columbus Air Force Base, according to a July 10 release from the 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus. The pilot, an international officer whose name was withheld pending coordination with the appropriate embassy, ejected safely. The officer was participating in the Aviation Leadership Program, which provides undergraduate flying training. According to the release, the 14th FTW planned to continue T-1A and T-38C pilot training operations today with T-6A operations expected to resume this weekend. The Air Force has convened a board to investigate the accident.
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.
