A-12 Avenger II: The US Navy’s Failed $5 Billion ‘Flying Dorito’ Stealth Bomber

Developing all-new, cutting-edge fighter jets is hard and expensive. In the wake of the collapse of the USSR, the US prematurely cut many of its expensive programs, like the B-2 Spirit and the F-22 Raptor. However, while those were canceled early, the A-12 Avenger II was canceled before it ever got off the ground. The eye-catching A-12 Avenger II became known as a symbol of procurement failure from excessive cost overruns and strategic misalignments.