Pentagon’s Review Could Open Door to B-2 Resumption

The Pentagon’s sweeping review of future U.S. defense needs is raising the possibility the military may want to resume production of the B-2 bomber program, the largest defense project ever undertaken in California.

The study, ordered by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, is finding that the military will depend more and more on long-range bombers in future wars, Pentagon officials said Friday.

Conflicts, the study points out, are more likely to be waged across vast distances, especially in Asia. In addition, the United States may not be able to depend as much on short-range fighters based overseas because of bases’ growing vulnerability to enemy missile attack.

Although the study makes no recommendations on specific weapons programs, military officials and outside experts say the B-2 would be an obvious choice because it is the last bomber built by the Pentagon and has advanced electronics and radar-evading capabilities.

Both Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney publicly urged purchase of more B-2s in the late 1990s. During last year’s presidential campaign, advisors suggested a Bush administration would consider resuming B-2 production.

The report offers the strongest indication yet that the new defense team could turn again to the plane.

In the original program, Northrop Grumman Corp. developed and built 21 B-2s for $44 billion. At its peak in the early 1990s, Northrop had 13,000 people working on the program, with many more at subcontractors.

The last B-2 was delivered to the Air Force in 1999, but about 1,200 employees still work on the B-2 in Palmdale, mainly on maintenance and upgrades for the aircraft.

It would cost $3 billion to $4 billion to reopen the production line, including nonrecurring costs, Northrop has estimated.

It would cost $500 million per airplane if the Pentagon asked for a batch of 40 B-2s; however, some analysts believe the Pentagon may want only half that many.

The company declined to comment on the Pentagon study.

“Until the results of the Defense Department’s strategic review are known, it’s really not appropriate for us to discuss any specifics of B-2 production,” said Jim Hart, a Northrop spokesman.

Northrop made intensive lobbying efforts to sell more B-2s during the Clinton administration, but ultimately succeeded in selling only one additional plane.

President Bush was briefed by Rumsfeld on Thursday on the program. The final report is due at the end of April.

Rear Adm. Craig Quigley, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, said the president was given a “very early look at the overall approach” the review group is taking toward strategy and quality-of-life issues.

He said he was not aware of the specifics of the strategy recommendations, but pointed out that the panel has so far made no recommendations on specific programs.

The B-2 got good reviews from the Air Force during the 1999 war in Kosovo, during which it was sent on 30-hour round-trip missions from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to Yugoslavia.

Yet the Air Force and defense officials in the Clinton administration have given fighter planes greater emphasis than long-range bombers in their acquisition program.

The F-22 fighter, made by Lockheed Martin Corp., has been the Air Force’s highest priority.

Advocates of the B-2 say that is a mistake. They note that Air Force plans do not call for putting a new bomber in service until 2040, though about one-third of the fleet consists of 40-year-old B-52 bombers that are easily spotted by radar.

If the Pentagon ordered new B-2s, they probably would include more advanced electronics and an outer “skin” that is easier to maintain. The skin gives the B-2 its “stealth” characteristics, yet it has been difficult and time-consuming to maintain.

The Air Force and Northrop have been gradually finding ways to make maintenance easier.

The Air Force recently also has looked at the possibility of developing a new long-range bomber. But B-2 advocates say it could take 20 years to add a new plane to the fleet.