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Friday 25 June 2010

Keeping the plane of the 1980s flying

An interesting LA Times article explaining how Northrop Grumman are keeping the B2 stealth bomber flying undetected by radar.
'Overhauling a stealth bomber, which must be done every seven years, costs $60 million, on average, and usually takes a year.

...

The 20 B-2s in service were built at a cost of $2.1 billion each, with many parts one-of-a-kind. Contributing to the high cost of an overhaul is the meticulous care that must be taken in restoring the bomber's dark gray coating, known as "advanced high-frequency material," which is the key to keeping it nearly invisible to radar.

...

the B-2's coat, which acts more like a skin than paint, is sensitive to heat and humidity.

The high-tech coating acts like a sponge that absorbs radar waves as they strike the plane. Even though the bomber has a wingspan nearly as long as a Boeing 747 jumbo jet, it looks the size of a tennis ball on a radar screen. The chemical composition of the coating is top secret.'

I have a thing for certain planes and the B2 may get there eventually, but its not a patch on the Blackbird SR-71.

2 comments:

hedgehog said...

The Blackbird was incredible - as was the EE Lightning and the Tupolev Tu-160. The old B1 Hustler was also a marvellous machine, but there are few that come even close to the C-47, DC3 or whatever you know it as - and there are lots of them still flying!

Grant said...

I go for the Spitfire. Whoever heard of a beer named after the B2 ? !