3. Spirit, a Northrop Grumman B-2
Joined the Service in 1989
Producing company: Northrop Grumman
Price: *$2.1 billion
Northrop Grumman, with annual revenues over $30 billion, is among the world’s leading defense manufacturers. The B-2 Spirit is among Northrop Grumman’s most well-known inventions. This large strategic bomber, also known as the Stealth Bomber, was equipped with technologies that allowed it to breach strong anti-aircraft defenses.
B-2 Spirit Northrop Grumman @ron_eisele / Twitter.com
The B-2 Spirit is a two-person crew-only aircraft that can carry both conventional and thermonuclear missiles. The first flight of this Northrop Grumman Corp. jet occurred in 1989, and it was manufactured up to 2000. Stealth Bombers from the 1990s are still in service today, despite the project’s short lifespan due to exorbitant costs. There were 21 made.
One reason for the B-2’s earlier retirement was budgetary. Although the Air Force had intended to use these Stealth Bombers until 2058, the 2019 fiscal year budget required the USAF to use them until 2032 at the latest. The retirement date for the B-1 was likewise advanced to 2036.
zi ang