It Costs $60 Million Dollars To Give A B-2 Bomber A Paint Job And A Refit

A B-2 stealth bomber gets a final coating of paint as part of its overhaul in a high-security hangar at Northrop Grumman Corp.'s facility in Palmdale. (Northrop Grumman / June 10, 2010)

B-2 Stealth Bombers Get Meticulous Makeovers -- L.A. Times

At Northrop Grumman's complex in Palmdale, the high-tech aircraft are refitted and repainted in a process that takes a year and costs $60 million per plane.

Hunched over, her eyes fixed downward, Tanya Hart inches across the vast wing of the B-2 stealth bomber one small step at a time, looking for any nicks or hairline scratches in the freshly repainted surface.

Even a tiny blemish could make the B-2 as visible on radar screens as a giant flying tin can. Hart, 50, is the last line of defense for what may be the world's most expensive paint job.

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My Comment: The best line in this report is the following ....

"This isn't a job where you can afford to mess up," said Hart, a "surface technician" for Northrop Grumman Corp., which built the bombers and is now overhauling them.

.... one year in the hanger and at $60 million a plane .... I would have to say duh!!!!