In a major escalation of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the U.S. Air Force deployed at least six B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to carry out precision strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure on Saturday, June 21.
The development of the now iconic aircraft began under the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) initiative during the Carter administration, but it proved more complex and costly than expected.
As a consequence, only 21 of these long-range stealth bombers have ever been made.
B-2 bomber development
During the ATB initiative, each B-2 bomber cost an average of $2.13 billion when factoring in not only development but engineering and testing expenses.
Each airframe alone, for example, cost around $737 million, while the full procurement including spare parts, retrofits, and software came to around $929 million per unit.
The price tag sparked considerable controversy in Congress, which reduced the original order from 132 bombers to just 21 during the late ‘80s and ‘90s.
Adjusting for inflation, each bomber would cost $4.2 billion today.
Indeed, the B-2 remains the most expensive piece of military aircraft ever produced, and the U.S. Air Force maintains only 19 of them in active service.
The fleet is expected to remain operational until at least 2032, when it will be succeeded by Northrop Grumman’s (NYSE: NOC) next-generation B-21 Raider.
Featured image via Shutterstock
