Mind-blowingly Expensive Military Aircraft
Warfare is an expensive business. The USA is well-known for its exorbitant defence budget, and all that money boils down to some incredibly destructive – and pricey – hardware. And, if you want to see just how innovatively technology can be harnessed for utter annihilation than all you need to do is look up.
Here is a look at 11 of the most incredible and expensive jets that are patrolling the skies.
F/A-18 Hornet: A$101 million
A stalwart of airborne defence since the 1980s, there’s something distinctly Top Gunabout the F/A-18 Hornet. A versatile piece of equipment, the fighter can engage both air and ground targets to devastating effect, and is still used by the US Navy as well as by military forces in Canada, Malaysia, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, Finland and Kuwait. Renowned for its aerial manoeuvrability, the Hornet is the aircraft of choice for the US Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration team.
EA-18G Growler: A$109 million
A fighter designed to specialise in advanced electronic warfare, the Growler has the ability to disrupt the anti-radar aircraft of the enemy as well as their communications. As a tool for causing confusion and chaos, this makes it particularly potent, and as successor to the famous Hornet the EA-18G also comes with a slightly heftier price tag.
V-22 Osprey: A$127 million
With its distinctive dual-rotors, the Osprey is a remarkable fusion of helicopter and fighter. As a tiltrotor machine, this fearsome aircraft can perform short take offs and landings as well as vertical take offs and landings, making it a highly flexible weapon in the theatre of war. First used in the Iraq War in 2007, the Osprey gained rapid popularity; however, this was cut short after technical defaults resulted in the death of 30 marines and civilians. Despite this tragic setback, the US military still has plenty of love for the Osprey, and continued to use it during operations in Afghanistan.
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F-35 Lightning II: A$131 million
Depending on your point of view, Lockheed Martin is either a bloodthirsty scion of the US’s recent experiments in nation building cloaked as a professional business, or it is a lynchpin of America’s continued military superiority, safeguarding the whole planet with its spectrum of scarily technical weaponry. Regardless, the fact remains that Lockheed Martin is responsible for some of the most advanced combat aircraft ever produced, including the F-35 Lightning II. Concerns arose in 2007 after reports that cyber spies had infiltrated the business’s computer network; in 2009 Lockheed Martin stated the programme for the F-35 was not compromised.
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B-1B Lancer Strategic Bomber: A$215 million
The backbone of the USA’s long-distance bomber capability, the B-1B Lancer Strategic Bomber was created in the 1980s to effectively deliver a nuclear mission in conjunction with other aircraft. It’s been implemented in numerous conflicts since and has proven its impact in a variety of bombing scenarios.
E-2D Advanced Hawkeye: A$249 million
What a way to keep an eye on your rowdy neighbours; the Advanced Hawkeye represents a significant step forward in the US military’s capacity for reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting. Its stunningly powerful radar boosts the aircraft’s territory by some 300 per cent, making it a highly powerful tool for strategic defence and spying. Outside the US, the E-2D has also been taken up by Indian forces to strengthen the country’s defensive capability.
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VH-71 Kestrel: A$259 million
The Kestrel’s creation was ordered by none other than Barack Obama, who sought to replace the ageing presidential fleet of choppers. A seriously chunky helicopter, the VH-71 offers maximum security and reliability for one of the most important men in the world. Its production was delayed due to the enormous costs entailed, but A$522 million was finally approved towards the flying fortresses.
P-8A Poseidon: A$311 million
When you absolutely, positively need to kill every last submarine in the ocean, you might want to consider the P-8A Poseidon. A souped-up version of the famous Boeing 737, the Poseidon was introduced by the US Navy in 2013 for intelligence gathering and anti-sub warfare, using its hefty payload of torpedoes and missiles to keep sub-aquatic vehicles permanently underwater.
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C-17A Globemaster III: A$352 million
The clue’s in the name with the Globemaster; these enormous aerial craft are used to transport US Armed Forces across the world to various warzones. But that’s not all; since entering service in 1993, the C-17A has been employed for a broad spectrum of uses, delivering troops, humanitarian aid and paratroopers and also allowing emergency medical evacuations. This versatility is reflected in its price tag, with the plane coming in at just over A$350 million. It saw extensive use in the recent Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
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F-22 Raptor Stealth Jet: A$376 million
From the violent crucible of the Cold War, the F-22 Raptor was designed by Lockheed Martin to rival Russian fighter jets in aerial dogfights. It’s long been one of the most advanced fighters in the world, created to handle air-to-air combat, air-to-ground targeting, electronic warfare and the neutralisation of enemy cruise missiles. Due to its advanced stealth technology, the plane is invisible to radar and can fly long distances at supersonic velocities.
However, Russia is still very much in the game from a military perspective, and recently produced the PAK FA as its answer to the Raptor’s dominance. The PAK FA was developed by the Sukhoi company, and represents a fifth generation aircraft with startling capabilities. Like the Raptor, it has supersonic capability and can alter or even create the data carried by satellites and other aircraft to sow disorder among enemy combatants.
B-2 Spirit Bomber: A$2,582 million
The mind boggles at the sheer cost of the Spirit Bomber; and its insane power. Deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, the Spirit’s cutting-edge stealth technology makes it virtually undetectable by enemy radar, infrared and electromagnetic signals. It also carries bombs capable of levelling just about any target it opposes. A B-2 crashed in 2008, reducing the active force of these silent angels of death to 20. Due to their prohibitive cost, the fleet is unlikely to expand further, but the small number remaining represents an unrivalled military spearhead for the US and her allies. As long as the economy doesn’t crash again.
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