|
|
B2 Spirit Bomber
The B-2 Spirit is an
American multi-role stealth bomber capable
of delivering both conventional and nuclear
weapons. A dramatic leap forward in technology,
the bomber represented a major milestone in
the U.S. bomber modernization program. The
B-2 is the most expensive plane ever built.
Estimates for the costs per plane range from
$1.157 billion USD [1] to $2.2 billion [2].
Its stealth technology is intended to help
it penetrate defenses previously unpenetrable
by combat aircraft. The original procurement
of 135 aircraft was later reduced to 75 in
the late 1980s. Finally, President George
H. W. Bush reduced the final buy quantity
to the 21 already bought in his now famous
"New World Order" State of the Union
speech in January, 1991.
The B-2 started life
as a "black program" known as the
High Altitude Penetrating Bomber (HAPB), it
then became the Advanced Technology Bomber
(ATB) and used the project code word Senior
Cejay, it later became the B-2 Spirit. An
estimated 23 billion dollars was secretly
spent for research and development on the
B-2 in the 1980s. An additional cost driver
was that the mission was changed in 1985 from
a high altitude bomber to a low altitude penetrating
bomber, which required a major redesign.
|
|
|
