The Nation : Stealth Bomber: $450 Million Per Plane

The cost of the Air Force’s new stealth bomber has climbed to an estimated $450 million per plane, a 20% increase over past estimates, making it the most expensive bomber ever built, the Washington Post reported. The stealth bomber is designed with a curvy shape and an absorbent skin, which should enable it to evade Soviet radar for a longer period than conventional aircraft, giving defenders less time to react and knock the invader down. Officials said the Air Force has told a few senators and House members that its fleet of 132 stealth bombers being built by the Northrop Corp., projected to cost $36.6 billion in 1981 and later revised upward to $43 billion, will cost at least 20% more than projected. When expressed in 1989 dollars, which accounts for inflation since 1981, the cost has risen from $50.6 billion to $59.5 billion.