Former Air Force missileers gathered at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., earlier this week to commemorate the first launch of a Minuteman ICBM—45 years ago. The first Minuteman, launched from Complex 31, lifted off from the Cape on Feb. 1, 1961.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.