Skip to main content

Lapse in Appropriations

Please note that a lapse in appropriations has caused GAO to shut down its operations. Therefore, GAO will not be able to publish reports or otherwise update this website until GAO resumes operations. In addition, the vast majority of GAO personnel are not permitted to work. Consequently, calls or emails to agency personnel may not be returned until GAO resumes operations. For details on how the bid protest process will be handled during the shutdown, please see the legal decisions page. For information related to the GAO Personnel Appeals Board (PAB), please see the PAB webpage.

Status of the B-2 Bomber Program

T-NSIAD-90-16 Published: Feb 22, 1990. Publicly Released: Feb 22, 1990.
Jump To:

Highlights

GAO discussed the current status of the B-2 aircraft program. GAO noted that: (1) Congress authorized 6 of the 133 B-2 aircraft that the Air Force planned to procure; (2) Air Force cost estimates have increased since 1981, and the Department of Defense (DOD) was considering revising the estimate again; (3) cost increases have been caused by incomplete aircraft design at the start of manufacturing, underestimated material costs, production schedule extensions, and concurrent development and production; (4) the Air Force has completed only 1 percent of the flight testing it planned and expects delivery delays to further delay flight testing; (5) the program would require up to $8 billion for fiscal years 1992 through 1995 under the current acquisition schedule; and (6) DOD should analyze and report to Congress on alternatives to the B-2 program's acquisition schedule.

Full Report

Full Report (7 pages)

Media Inquiries

Sarah Kaczmarek
Managing Director
Office of Public Affairs
media@gao.gov

Public Inquiries

Contact Us

Topics

National Defense
Air defense systemsAir Force procurementAircraft researchBomber aircraftConcurrencyCost analysisCost overrunsFuture budget projectionsMilitary appropriationsTesting