Zane Hengsperger
@zanehengsperger
Jun 23
The B‑2 bomber supply chain:
>500+ suppliers in 32 states
>250,000+ parts per aircraft
>300,000+ labor hours to build one
>80% composite by surface area
>±0.001" machining tolerance
>$2.1B per unit
>Mainly Northrop
>GE: engines
>Boeing: gear & bay
>Vought: wings
>Raytheon/Hughes: avionics
>Even old Ford plants were repurposed for space
>Custom jigs built for almost every major subassembly
>Some parts took 18+ months from design to delivery
>19,000 fasteners per airframe
>1,000+ custom tools developed for assembly
>7–10 years from contract to first flight
>~13,000 jobs supported during peak production
>2.5 million engineering hours before first prototype
>Factory access required multiple security clearances
https://xcancel.com/zanehengsperger/status/1937200858879438967#m