为什么B-2隐形轰炸机的造价高达20亿美元？：英语精读讲义

With the current US president announcing plans to increase the US defense budget this year in order to rebuild the depleted military of the United States, 語法

随着现任美国总统宣布今年增加美国国防预算的计划，以重建美国日渐空虚的军队，

we may need to take stock of what expenditure has already been spent by the good old US of A. 習語

我们可能需要盘点一下“美利坚合众国”已经支出了多少开销。

The current increase of billions of dollars will take the US even further ahead of the rest of the world in terms of outright military spending. 短語搭配

目前数十亿美元的增长，将使美国在绝对军事支出方面进一步把世界其他国家甩在身后。

And yes, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute,

是的，根据斯德哥尔摩国际和平研究所的数据，

in 2015 US spending outstripped that of China, 語法

2015年美国的支出超过了中国、

Russia, the UK, France, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and India combined.

俄罗斯、英国、法国、日本、沙特阿拉伯和印度的总和。

While none of us can claim that US defense spending has been anything less than excessive,

虽然我们没人能说美国的国防开销不是过分庞大的，

it has been perhaps an important part of overall world peacekeeping.

但这或许也是整体世界维和行动的重要组成部分。

So just what has been the biggest single expenditure on US military hardware? 表達脈絡

那么，美国军事硬件上最大的一笔单项支出究竟是什么？

What has been the most dramatic dollar per man expenditure?

什么项目的人均花销最为惊人？

Well, with each American tax-paying citizen contributing over $30 on the production of it, 語法

好吧，既然每个美国纳税公民都为其生产贡献了30多美元，

we attempt to answer that question today on this episode of the Infographics Show,

我们今天试图在这一期《Infographics Show》中回答这个问题，

why does the B-2 bomber cost $2 billion?

为什么B-2轰炸机要花20亿美元？

The B-2 Spirit, also known as the stealth bomber, 短語搭配

B-2“幽灵”，也被称为隐形轰炸机，

is an American heavy penetration strategic bomber featuring low observable stealth technology designed for penetrating dense anti-aircraft defenses.

是美国一款具备低可侦测隐形技术的重型突防战略轰炸机，专为穿透密集的防空网络而设计。

This flying wing houses a crew of two and can deploy both conventional and thermonuclear weapons.

这架飞翼式战机配有两名机组人员，能够部署常规武器和热核武器。

Development for this ATB, 文化背景

这款ATB，

or Advanced Technology Bomber,

即“先进技术轰炸机”的研发工作，

began during the Carter administration and development continued through the Reagan administration with program costs continually rising.

始于卡特政府时期，并在里根政府时期继续进行，项目成本不断攀升。

Originally designed for use in the Cold War,

B-2最初是为冷战设计的，

the B-2 became active in later military operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

后来活跃在中东和阿富汗的军事行动中。

The first versions cost $737 million,

最初版本的成本为7.37亿美元，

rising to $929 million as retrofitting and adjustments were made.

随着改造和调整，上升到了9.29亿美元。

Ultimately,

最终，

the cost per aircraft weighed in at $2.1 billion per aircraft as the B-2 was perfected in 1997. 短語動詞

随着B-2在1997年趋于完善，单架飞机的成本达到了21亿美元。

So the Defense Authorization Act and Congress authorized 20 B-2s for $44.65 billion,

因此，《国防授权法案》和国会批准以446.5亿美元购买20架B-2，

or $2.2 billion each.

即每架22亿美元。

That's equivalent to $36 from each individual taxpayer for each plane, 短語搭配

这相当于每个纳税人为每架飞机贡献了36美元，

or $720 per taxpayer for the entire program.

或者说整个项目让每个纳税人掏了720美元。

That's a lot of dough for the average hardworking American citizen. 習語

对于普通勤劳的美国公民来说，这可是一大笔钱。

The B-2 planes themselves cost eight times their weight in gold to buy and operate. 習語

B-2飞机本身的购买和运营成本是其等重量黄金的八倍。

Yes, these are some seriously expensive aircraft.

没错，这绝对是极其昂贵的飞机。

The project has been controversial from the get-go owing to the astronomical cost. 講解

由于天文数字般的成本，该项目从一开始就备受争议。

The B-2s number just 20 now in service 用詞

目前服役的B-2仅有20架，

with the United States Air Force planning to operate the B-2 until 2032.

美国空军计划将B-2运行到2032年。

An impressive weapon of war,

作为一款令人惊叹的战争武器，

the B-2 is capable of all-altitude attack missions up to 50,000 ft

B-2能够执行高达50,000英尺的全高度攻击任务，

with a range of more than 6,000 mi on internal fuel

仅靠内部燃料航程就超过6,000英里，

and over 10,000 nautical mi with one mid-air refueling.

进行一次空中加油后航程超过10,000海里。

It has served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya.

它曾在伊拉克、阿富汗和利比亚服役。

Although nobody is really at liberty to say why the planes cost so much, 短語搭配

虽然没有人真正有权说明这些飞机为何如此昂贵，

one theory is that the B-2 is just such a royal pain in the behind to maintain due to a flaw in the surface coating material. 習語

但有一种理论认为，B-2维护起来极其麻烦，原因是其表面涂层材料存在缺陷。

The radar-reflecting material used on the B-2 is highly hydrophilic, 用詞

B-2上使用的雷达反射材料具有高度亲水性，

meaning it takes on and absorbs water readily and as the plane flies.

这意味着它在飞机飞行时很容易吸收水分。

Air friction during flight causes the surface of the B-2 to heat up, 短語動詞

飞行过程中的空气摩擦会导致B-2的表面发热，

meaning the water that's absorbed into the stealth material simply boils away, 短語動詞

这意味着吸收到隐形材料中的水会直接沸腾蒸发，

blistering the material.

使材料起泡。

As the surface material erodes,

随着表面材料的剥落，

the B-2 is less stealth-like.

B-2的隐形性能也会随之下降。

After every flight,

每次飞行后，

these blisters have to be repaired,

这些起泡都必须进行修复，

meaning that not only does the B-2 cost a ton upfront, 語法

这意味着B-2不仅前期成本极高，

but the maintenance bill is also substantial.

其维护费用也相当惊人。

This theory itself though has a flaw.

不过这个理论本身也存在漏洞。

Could the B-2 really fly so fast that the surface material heats up to the boiling point? 語法

B-2真的能飞那么快，以至于表面材料会热到沸点吗？

Whether this theory is true or not, 語法

无论这个理论是否正确，

experts all agree that the paint used to coat the B-2 costs a huge sum

专家们都一致认为，用于B-2涂层的油漆成本极其高昂，

and the general overhauling,

而且常规的大修，

which must take place once every 7 years, 講解

必须每7年进行一次，

costs $60 million per aircraft.

每架飞机的大修成本为6,000万美元。

But did the B-2 really cost $2.1 billion per aircraft?

但是B-2单机的成本真的达到了21亿美元吗？

Some have argued that due to creative accountancy and other sleight-of-hand tricks, 講解

一些人认为，由于创造性的会计手法和其他花招，

the cost of the aircraft has been vastly overestimated

该飞机的成本被大大高估了，

and that the fleet only cost a mere $500 million to develop and manufacture.

并且整个机队的研发和制造仅仅花费了5亿美元。

That's about twice the cost of a run-of-the-mill 747 passenger airline. 習語

这大约是一架普通波音747客机成本的两倍。

When you factor in the cost of training the crew, 短語動詞

当你把训练机组人员的成本、

the cost of the weapons,

武器的成本、

expendables, and fuel,

消耗品和燃料的成本都算进去时，

all these factors pump up the price of the aircraft way beyond the cost of simply making an aircraft. 講解

所有这些因素使得这架飞机的价格远远超出了单纯制造一架飞机的成本。

But maybe the fact that there were so few B-2s built is the very reason they were so expensive. 語法

但也许制造的B-2数量如此之少，正是它们如此昂贵的原因。

Let's look at car manufacturers to get a clearer picture of what happens here. 表達脈絡

让我们看看汽车制造商，以更清楚地了解这里发生的情况。

Imagine if General Motors spent 20 years to build a revolutionary line of 20 cars. 表達脈絡

想象一下，如果通用汽车花了20年时间制造出20辆革命性的汽车。

These are state-of-the-art cars of which the world has never seen the likes before. 用詞

这些都是世界上前所未见的最先进的汽车。

In order to build these cars,

为了制造这些汽车，

they have to train new mechanics,

他们必须培训新的机械师，

to have new skills,

掌握新技能，

to use new materials,

使用新材料，

to build the new cars

来制造这些新车，

that will be subject to a design system that requires constant revision at every step of the design and production process. 短語搭配

而且这些汽车必须遵循一套在设计和生产过程的每一步都需要不断修改的设计系统。

Design systems have to not only be drawn up,

设计系统不仅要被制定出来，

they have to be implemented with precision.

还必须被精准地执行。

This is what happened with the B-2.

这就是B-2所经历的情况。

The best engineers were not only hired,

不仅聘请了最优秀的工程师，

they were trained by other high-earning engineers

他们还接受了其他高薪工程师的培训，

to build an aircraft that was a unique cutting-edge piece of technology

来建造这架独一无二的尖端技术结晶的飞机，

that was considered essential during development and has proved useful in missions since the late 1990s.

它在开发期间被认为是不可或缺的，自1990年代末以来的各种任务中也证明了它的价值。

Cutting-edge technology does not just appear,

尖端技术并非凭空出现，

it has to be painfully developed over years of hard graft, 用詞

它必须经过多年的艰苦努力、

mistakes,

犯错、

workmanship,

精工细作、

redesign,

重新设计而痛苦地开发出来，

and eventually the product is brought to market, 短語搭配

最终产品被推向市场，

hopefully with the required design features.

希望能带有必要的设计特征。

The problem is other aircrafts buzz around the aerospace

问题是航空航天领域还有其他飞机在飞行，

and the B-2 is not the only flyboy in town. 習語

B-2并不是这里唯一的飞行好手。

The F-22 Raptor is almost invisible to radar

F-22“猛禽”在雷达上几乎是隐形的，

and is the most advanced and expensive production fighter after the B-2

并且是继B-2之后最先进也是最昂贵的量产型战斗机，

with the cost of a single fighter estimated at around $339 million,

单架战斗机的成本估计在3.39亿美元左右，

a snip compared to the cost of the B-2 stealth fighter. 習語

跟B-2隐形战机比起来这只能算个零头。

So perhaps with the last flights planned for the B-2 in 2032,

所以也许随着B-2计划在2032年进行最后一次飞行，

a successor is on the radar. 習語

继任者已在酝酿之中。

Whatever the cost, 語法

不管成本如何，

the B-2 aircraft has been useful since its introduction in battle in 1999 語法

B-2飞机自1999年投入战斗以来一直非常有用，

and still currently it is the only aircraft carrying a Massive Ordnance Penetrator. 文化背景

目前它仍然是唯一能携带“大型钻地弹”的飞机。

So if the US needs to destroy a rogue nuclear facility buried deep underground,

因此，如果美国需要摧毁深埋在地下的流氓核设施，

this is the aircraft to do it with. 語法

这就是用来完成这项任务的飞机。

So,

那么，

do you think the B-2 bomber is worth the massive cost?

你觉得B-2轰炸机值得这么高昂的成本吗？

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

请在评论区告诉我们你的想法。

Also,

此外，

be sure to check out our other video called US F-35 versus Russian Su-35 fighter jet.

务必去看看我们的另一期视频《美国F-35对阵俄罗斯Su-35战斗机》。

Thanks for watching

感谢观看，

and as always,

像往常一样，

don't forget to like,

别忘了点赞、

share,

分享、

and subscribe.

和订阅。

See you next time.

下次见。