The B-21 Raider Nightmare Scenario for the U.S. Air Force

[rangerrebew]

The B-21 Raider Nightmare Scenario for the U.S. Air Force
Story by Stavros Atlamazoglou • 21h • 3 min read
 
Summary and Key Points: The B-21 Raider, the U.S. Air Force's next-generation stealth bomber, is under development with a staggering cost of $600 million per aircraft. This high price echoes the procurement challenges faced by its predecessor, the B-2 Spirit, which saw its production drastically cut after the Cold War due to budget constraints.


-Initially expected to produce 130 B-2s, the Air Force ultimately received only 21, with costs exceeding $4 billion per aircraft in today’s dollars.

-As the Air Force plans for around 100 B-21s, history may repeat itself if rising costs lead to further cuts, potentially impacting U.S. strategic capabilities.
 
The B-21 Raider: Will High Costs Slash U.S. Air Force Plans?
 
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-b-21-raider-nightmare-scenario-for-the-u-s-air-force/ar-AA1nIdvX?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=8ab873b3099d44c7bdeca1f346db8628&ei=32

[SZonian]

People writing these articles are either willfully ignorant, or just plain liars.
There were supposed to be over 100 B2s and that would have brought the costs per unit down significantly.
Every procurement program's costs are predicated upon a certain number of units being made.
A lot of $$ is invested up front for R&D and needs to be recouped via the cost per unit.
Make less, they cost more. Make more, they cost less.

[Smokin Joe]

People writing these articles are either willfully ignorant, or just plain liars.
There were supposed to be over 100 B2s and that would have brought the costs per unit down significantly.
Every procurement program's costs are predicated upon a certain number of units being made.
A lot of $$ is invested up front for R&D and needs to be recouped via the cost per unit.
Make less, they cost more. Make more, they cost less.

Yep. Include the cost of tooling, jigs, test harnesses and software, etc, as well. Tee more you make, the lower the unit cost, as all the upfront costs are amortized over a larger volume.

[PeteS in CA]

Gee, where has this claim been posted before? Right here, https://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,538645.0.html .

Existing B-52, B-1, and B-2 squadrons are at their Congressionally authorized levels, plus or minus the B-1 recently written off and the B-1 pulled from storage for refurb and update. The race between B-52s, B-1s, and B-2s getting damaged BER offset by the stock of restorable planes and the B-21 coming into production is real, but calling that a "Nightmare Scenario" is clickbait hype.

One of the factors that almost killed the F-111 was Congress reducing the numbers built so as to increase the cost per plane. This was probably also done to the F-22. The Dems know that there's more than one way to gut Defense.