Murphy's Law: April 12, 2002

Archives

Reports of cracks in B-2 bombers are not deserving of the panic they have caused in Congress, the Pentagon says, and are simply propaganda to stop heavy bomber advocates from getting money for more of the giant bombers. The cracks are in the flat titanium plates behind the engines, and are not a flight safety issue. (Sixteen of the 21 bombers have such cracks, which are up to two inches long.) Similar cracks on F-117s never caused a problem. The plates in question are not a structural element of the aircraft, but simply part of the aerodynamic covering. Systems are being designed to repair the cracks before they get big enough to matter.--Stephen V Cole

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close