The A-12 Avenger II was an American aircraft program, designed by McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics.

It was intended to be an all-weather, carrier-based stealth bomber replacement for the A-6 Intruder in the United States Navy and Marines. However, due to extremely high costs, the A-12 Avenger II program was cut.

The aircraft was designed to have two General Electric F412-GE-D5F2 turbofans, each producing about 13,000 lbf (58 kN) thrust, and was equipped to carry up to two AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, two AGM-88 HARMs and a full complement of air-to-ground ordnance, including Mk 82 bombs, or smart bombs, in an internal weapons bay. The A-12 gained the nickname “Flying Dorito”.

The aircraft suffered numerous problems throughout its development, especially with the materials, and when the projected cost of each aircraft ballooned to an estimated US$165 million, the project was canceled by then-Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney, in January 1991.

In recently declassified government documents, light is shed on exactly why the program was cancelled:

On January 7 199 1, Defense Secretary Richard Cheney terminated a $18 billion contract for the A- 12 Avenger II Aircraft, the Navy’s top aviation priority. At that time, the aircraft was at least $1 billion over budget, 8,000 pounds overweight, and 18 months behind schedule. Nearly $3 billion had been spent on the program and not one aircraft was ever built. Originally projected to cost $57 billion for 620 aircraft, the A-12 was the largest weapons contract cancellation in the history of the Pentagon.

The US Navy Stealth Aircraft

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 37 ft 10 in (11.5 m)
Wingspan:
Unfolded: 70 ft 3 in (21.4 m)
Folded: 36 ft 3 in (11.0 m)
Height: 11 ft 3 in (3.4 m)
Wing area: 1,308 ft² (122 m²)
Empty weight: 39,000 lb (17,700 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 80,000 lb (36,300 kg)
Maximum fuel capacity: 21,322 pounds (9,700 kg) (internal)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F412-GE-D5F2 non-afterburning turbofans, 13,000 lbf (58 kN) each

Maximum speed: 500 knots (580 mph, 930 km/h)
Range: 800 nmi (920 mi, 1,480 km)
Service ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,200 m)
Rate of climb: 5,000 ft/min (25 m/s)
Wing loading: 61 lb/ft² (300 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.325

Payload capability: 5,160 pounds (2,300 kg) in internal weapons bay including:
2× AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles
2× AGM-88 HARM air-to-ground missiles
Unguided or precision-guided bombs

Role: All-weather naval stealth bomber
Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics
Status: Canceled
Primary users: United States Navy
United States Marine Corps
Number built: 0; mockup only
Program cost: US$57 billion (projected)
Unit cost: US$84 million (estimated)

SCIENCE RESEARCH

S'sonic
Stealth
Menu

Space
Transport
Menu