The B-2 Stealth Bomber

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the B-2 Stealth Bomber program which is funded by Congress and supported by different administrations. The B-2 Bomber is noted for its use of stealth technology, which makes it virtually invisible to radar as a means of detecting its presence. It examines how critics have pointed out a number of flaws in this technology and in the entire program together with a report from the General Accounting Office in 1998 was especially critical and generated a response from the Air Force in an attempt to counter the critics. It shows how an evaluation of the project suggests that while the technology could be useful, it is not yet sufficiently developed to be utilized at the level the Air Force would like and the costs would support.

From the Paper:

"The B-2 bomber might be useful in certain situations, but the number that are already in operation could suffice for such operations. The Pentagon originally stated that it needed only 20 B-2s for all purposes, and it has more than that now. The manufacturer claims it can make the bombers less expensively, but this does not mean they are needed (Thompson 41). While high cost might be a consideration in determining whether such a system is needed or not, the primary rationales should be need and effectiveness. In the case of the B-2, not only is it expensive, it is also probably not needed and does not work as advertised in any case. Given that there is no evidence at all that the bombers can be fixed or that they will suddenly become needed, the program should be ended. Even if there were such evidence, the costs might not be justified by the small return that would be achieved."

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