Has anyone ever seen an airplane crash debris field with no visible plane parts. OK, I’m not referencing 9/11. There are several sources of photo’s of the recent lost F-35 in South Carolina debris field. You certainly see a lot of downed trees and a pathway, but no plane debris. Could all the plane parts have been cleared prior to news photos, I think in less than 24 hours? Wouldn’t there be witnesses and news crews showing the clean-up? I’m sure this is now a dead story to be backshelved.
You're viewing a single comment thread. View all comments, or full comment thread.
Comments (27)
sorted by:
The whole "weather" thing???
The B-2 is stored in a $5 million specialised air-conditioned hangar to maintain its stealth coating. Every seven years, this coating is carefully washed away with crystallised wheat starch so that the B-2's surfaces can be inspected for any dents or scratches.
A key reason for this cost is the provision of air-conditioned hangars large enough for the bomber's 172 ft (52 m) wingspan, which are needed to maintain the aircraft's stealth properties, particularly its "low-observable" stealth skins.[36][37] Maintenance costs are about $3.4 million per month for each aircraft.[38] An August 1995 GAO report disclosed that the B-2 had trouble operating in heavy rain, as rain could damage the aircraft's stealth coating, causing procurement delays until an adequate protective coating could be found. In addition, the B-2's terrain-following/terrain-avoidance radar had difficulty distinguishing rain from other obstacles, rendering the subsystem inoperable during rain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-2_Spirit