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B-2 Crash

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by Grand Falcon Railroad (U3267675) on Saturday, 23rd February 2008

  
  
  Well Im glad as Im sure everyone will be that the crew got out alive...
  
  but thats one hell of a hole in the budget - and I'm sure if there was any sniff of "pilot error" then the no-claims bonus will be invalidated.
  
  Do you think this could mean the end of the B-2? After all there was a spate of "flying-wing" crashes in the late-40's and early-50's and it ended the programme until the B-2 came about.
  
  How long will the B-52 have to soldier on now? 2113 - by my guess.

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by SONICBOOMER (U3688838) on Saturday, 23rd February 2008

  Glad the crew are safe, but the American taxpayer just took a hit.
  
  The 'extra' 21st B-2, was a development airframe upgraded for attrition, for just such an event like this.
  
  The B-2's are so massively expensive because the original Cold War programme, with it's very expensive, usually highly secret technical development, was for a fleet of 132 B-2's.
  
  The Cold War ended, so numbers fell, to 75, eventually to 20.
  Plus the attrition example.
  Now 20 full stop.
  
  Since then, Northrop have offered to re-open the line and build 40 new B-2's, at a much lower price, due to lessons learned with the original batch, technical development since etc.
  
  However, the USAF has been looking at a new bomber, stealthy but not fast, not really in the B-1/B-2/B-52 replacement class size, from about 2018.
  The chances of this happening is remote, it will be too little extra capability, for too much cost, from a service struggling to increase the production of F-22's and get enough F-35's approved.
  As well as many more transports, new tankers, new combat rescue choppers.
  
  
  

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