'Overhauling a stealth bomber, which must be done every seven years, costs $60 million, on average, and usually takes a year.
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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.
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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:
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!
I go for the Spitfire. Whoever heard of a beer named after the B2 ? !
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