B-21 costs significantly lower than expected

[Zaphod58]

The B-21 cost has dropped significantly between the amount budgeted in FY23, and the amount budgeted in FY25. Inflation adjusted costs initially showed the per airframe cost at $730M ($511M in 2015 dollars), but it appears that the first aircraft now cost $668M per aircraft. In FY23, the Air Force budgeted $19.1B for the initial lot, reducing that to $13.8B in the FY25 budget request. This may allow the Air Force to increase their total buy, or speed up production of the aircraft. The Northrop CEO said that the final three lots could see a significant increase in the number of aircraft in each lot, potentially by "dozens". The contract for LRIP 2 is expected to be signed by the end of the year, although no future price changes are expected. 

In fact, in a rare instance for a defense acquisition program, as reported by Aviation Week, the B-21 budget for the first five production lots went from the $19.1 billion budgeted by the U.S. Air Force in 2023 to the $13.8 billion budgeted for 2025. The decrease amounts to a 28% discount, or $5.1 billion, for the same number of bombers to be acquired between 2023 and 2027.
While the future lots of the Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) are still to be negotiated, the decrease of the cost could allow to boost the production with an increase of the orders. In fact, according to Northrop Grumman’s CEO Kathy Warden, the savings could allow to potentially add dozens of B-21s to the last three years of the LRIP phase.

https://theaviationist.com/2024/11/12/th...ecreasing/

[UltraBudgie]

I appreciate the expertise of these news selections and their importance within context.

But I'm of two minds, in the larger scope. Help me out here.

First, I like seeing the neat new technology and strategic adaptation, and how it plays out in industrial practice. An adult version of shiny toys and fun games. The nobility of united endeavour.

Second, I get depressed about the militarism. Not in the integrity of honourable service, that's cool, but as part of humanity as a whole. Tools beg use. Will we have war and militarism with us forever? Is it keeping us bound to the decaying concept of nation-states? Is there a better alternative? Will entrenched industry disallow humanity finding another outlet for this expression of our nature? I don't see competition, conflict, and even violence as intrinsically evil, by the way. But will we have to keep blowing each other up forever?

So part of me enjoys reading about stuff like this, and part of me wants it to go the hell away.

Is that weird?

[Zaphod58]

Is that weird?

I've known quite a few people that feel that way. Just about no one wants to see them used for real, but seeing them used is also a very interesting subject and discussion.