Cracks found in tails of stealth bombers

Washington: The United States Air Force has discovered cracks on the tail ends of most of its B-2 stealth bombers, raising questions about the problem-prone aircraft's long-term future.

Pentagon officials said cracks have been found on the rear sections of 16 of the air force's 21 long-range bombers, the most expensive aircraft in the world.
The cracks, which ranged from a couple of centimetres to more than 20 cm long, were all on titanium plates behind the jets' engine exhausts.

The disclosure is a setback for a group of politicians and military officials who have been pushing the Pentagon to buy more of the aircraft, which have been effective in attacking distant targets with precise bombs.

The B-2's manufacturer, Northrop Grumman, had offered to build 40 more of the aircraft at a price of $US735million ($1.4billion) each, a significant reduction from the $US2.2billion per plane tag of the existing fleet.