'$150,000/h to fly': B-2 Bomber mission costs more than entire defence budget of these 5 countries
The B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber is often called the most expensive aircraft ever built and it’s not just the price tag of $2.2 billion per jet. A single training mission of B-2 can surpass the annual defence budgets of several entire nations.
Bhutan
Bhutan’s annual defense budget is around $20 million. That means the cost of flying a B-2 for just 133 hours (less than 6 days of nonstop flight) is more than Bhutan’s entire yearly defense spending.
Honduras
Honduras spends roughly $60 million annually on defence. A single 400-hour flying cycle of the B-2 fleet costs more than the military expenditure of the whole country.
Nepal
Nepal’s military budget sits at about $430 million, still smaller than what it costs to operate the B-2 fleet for just 3,000 hours a year. That’s less than what a dozen B-2 missions add up to globally.
Moldova
Moldova’s annual defence expenditure is close to $85 million. A B-2 flying for just over half a day (12 hours) burns more money than the country’s defence allocation.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, despite being in NATO, spends around $500 million on its military annually. Just 3,300 hours of B-2 air time matches the budget of this European nation.
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