The program continued into the Reagan years. Due to the high level of investment and development that had to be done to build such an advanced bomber, programs costs ballooned. Each aircraft went from an average $737 million to $2.1 billion by the end of the program. The reason behind this was the sophistication of the bomber. The bomber was incorporating the most advanced stealth technology that money could buy. The plane also was incorporating an advanced version of the flying wing. The technological advancements to figure that plane shape was strenuous and cost the program months of time. Finally, this was one of the first aircraft in the world to use the fly-by-wire technology. This technology is comparable to power steering in a car and helped the plane move smoother and faster.
Soon enough though the plane was rolled out in 1988 at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The Air Force intended to buy 165 of the bombers. Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned ballooning costs, the Air Force was only able to purchase 21 bombers, 20 of which are operational today. The bomber saw its first action in the 1999 Kosovo War where the plane was estimated to have destroyed 33% of the selected targets. In the plane's first combat flight a squadron of MiG-29s, one of the most advanced bombers the Soviets ever produced, flew right below the bombers and never noticed a thing. To military officals, this was a testament to the ultra-advanced technology of the bomber. Moving forward the bomber would see service in the Afgan and Iraq wars and play a major role in the Libya bombing operation. Wherever the United States needs to penetrate enemy airspace, the B-2 is there to answer the call. However, the B-2 is going to be phased out by 2032. The Air Force is currently developing an even more sophisticated bomber: the B-21 Radier.
https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/b2/
Nice post! I liked how you detailed the process and limitations of the plane, due to costs and such. I remember hearing about another plane that became expensive and went almost a decade behind schedule. The F-35 is a fighter plane that began its development in 2001 under lockheed martin. Its program is the most expensive in defense program history coming in at 1.5 trillion dollars and its unit per cost is around 100 million, double what was anticipated. This failing program is still being funded by the government being dubbed by the pentagon as too big to fail. unlike the improved bomber you talked about this one continues to be behind schedule with its costs hurting the US.
ReplyDeletehttp://theconversation.com/what-went-wrong-with-the-f-35-lockheed-martins-joint-strike-fighter-60905
ReplyDeleteGreat post Chris! I found it interesting that the US Air Force still uses the B-52 Stratofortress even though it was developed in 1955, more than 60 years ago. I did some research on the Air Force's newest strategic bomber, the B-21 Raider, and it turns out that it is supposed to cost less per unit than the B-2 at $500 million. Taking into account inflation, the projected cost per unit of the B-21 is significantly lower than the B-2, and with new technologies the B-21 plans to completely replace all other strategic bombers currently utilized by the US Air Force.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/18997/b-21-raider-officially-heading-to-edwards-air-force-base-for-testing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-21_Raider