A bow wave of modernizations — including the Air Force's desire to build a sixth-gen fighter and drone wingmen — has stretched its budget thin.
The unarmed Minuteman III flew 4,200 miles from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base to a ballistic missile test site in the Marshall Islands.
The Air Force has rotated bombers through overseas deployments as part of task forces since 2018.
The B-21 Raider has so far avoided ballooning costs, said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin.
