To prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Rita, the Air Force is moving aircraft out of the projected path of the storm and moving personnel into readiness positions to respond after landfall, service officials said. Sixteen F-16s and one C-26 from Ellington Field in Houston were evacuated, and two C-5 Galaxy aircraft with the 433rd Airlift Wing, Lackland AFB, Tex., are set to assist with evacuation efforts in the vicinity of Houston and Beaumont. The 433rd AW also dispatched an aeromedical evacuation command and control team to Beaumont to standby for medical evacuation operations. USAF also has five C-17s, six C-130s, three C-5s, and two Contingency Response Groups standing by on three-hour alert.
The first flight of the secretive B-21 bomber has slipped to mid-2022, but the program is moving along well, Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office director Randall Walden said in an exclusive interview. The second copy of the B-21, which will be used for structural testing, is now on the production…