B-2s age just like any other aircraft and need a deep overhaul from the manufacturer every nine years. Their unique, almost experimental, design makes the process very time-consuming and challenging, although strides have been made to improve it. Reader Submission
Warzone/The Drive: Check Out This Super Grimy B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Awaiting A Deep Overhaul
B-2 Spirits usually look otherworldly, but every nine years they head to their birthplace for some much-needed TLC. Prior to the order for the new VC-25B Air Force One jets, the 21 B-2 Spirits ever built were the most expensive flying machines mankind ever created. Their design also represented an absolute revolution in aerospace technology, albeit one that is now nearly four decades old. The B-21 Raider, which is being built by Northrop Grumman behind extreme security at the sprawling Plant 42 installation in Palmdale, Calif., will show us the next great leap in stealth bomber technology, but we are still at least months from seeing it. The B-21 is slated to enter service around the middle of this decade, a highly ambitious goal, but until then, its flying wing progenitor will soldier on.
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WNU Editor: It is hard to believe that some of these B-2s have been flying for over 30 years.
ReplyDelete30 years! I would have guessed ten.