‘B-2 Bomber’ Flying from Aircraft Carrier: A-12 Avenger II Stealth Bomber Has A Message for the U.S. Navy

‘B-2 Bomber’ Flying from Aircraft Carrier: A-12 Avenger II Stealth Bomber Has A Message for the U.S. Navy

The A-12 Avenger II, famously dubbed the "Flying Dorito," remains one of the most expensive and ambitious failures in the history of naval aviation. Intended to be the U.S. Navy’s premier stealthy carrier-based strike bomber, the program was terminated in 1991 by then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney. In 2026, as the Navy faces new challenges with the F/A-XX and NGAD programs, the A-12 stands as a cautionary tale about the dangers of "PowerPoint…