This Piece of Military Technology Cost Almost $10 Billion to Build

The United States has the largest military budget in the world. According to the Office of Management and Budget, in the 2023 fiscal year, the U.S. Department of Defense spent $820 billion on national defense alone. While a big portion of this is allotted to the servicemen and women, as well as the civilian workers, of our armed forces, a significant portion of this goes towards military technology and staying on top of advancements.

A nation needs to protect its citizens and interests not only at home but abroad. Per the DOD, its mission is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and to protect the security of our country. In addition to protecting our country from hostile forces, they also assist with maintaining peace and stability in the many regions that are crucial to U.S. interests. (Other nations dealing with instability are learning how to cope and move on with daily life, like Palestinian boxing coach Osama Ayoub who trains young girls who hope to compete one day.)

But just what technologies is this budget going towards? From missile defense systems and tanks to Air Force One and additional aviation aircraft, the constant need to keep up with, and advance beyond, technology is a significant undertaking.

To find the costliest military technologies ever developed, 24/7 Tempo scoured the internet for the most top-secret information. We looked into various sources, including the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services and the Government Accountability Office, and information from Air Force experts. We have compiled what we think is the most comprehensive list of costly but important military equipment. (Check out powerful weapons used in the greatest military strategies that changed the course of history.)

• Kind of technology: Stealth Plane
• Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Cost: $1 Billion+

This stealth plane is capable of entering deep into enemy territory without being spotted by infrared, radar, visual, or electromagnetic signals. It can also launch an attack from up to 50,000 feet in the air. The B-2 is 69 feet long and 172 feet wide and can fly upwards of 628 mph. The plane, which is made to carry nuclear weapons, can carry 40,000 pounds of weapons.

• Kind of technology: Fighter Plane
• Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin, Boeing Defense, Space & Security, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
• Cost: $350 Million

The F-22 Raptor was designed to go against the MIG Fulcrum aircraft designed by the Russians. This jet can fly in all forms of weather, and has stealth capabilities, making radar unable to detect it. It can conduct ground and electronic welfare, and it's the go-to tech for aerial combat.

Though it's an incredible fighting machine, since many missions don't often require its use, the jet ceased manufacturing in 2011, and the 186 still in service will be it.

• Kind of technology: Aircraft Carrier
• Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding
• Cost: $9.8 Billion

This aircraft carrier is close to $10 billion, but there is more than one, making the price of the program closer to $34 billion. It's one of the largest aircraft carriers ever made, with a length of between 1,092 and 1,106 feet and a displacement of about one hundred thousand tons. The carrier's flight deck is 256 feet, big enough to hold up to 75 aircraft, and it has plenty of defense missiles.

Fighter jets are one of the most expensive and valuable resources the military possesses, outside of the thousands of training hours each pilot puts in.

• Kind of technology: Fighter Jet
• Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
• Cost: $122 million

Each plane costs close to $122 million, but the project created to design and manufacture the F-35 Lightning II is closer to $345 billion. This jet is equipped with top-rated stealth features and incredible weaponry, can complete both air and ground maneuvers, and can take off vertically. The Lighting II houses one pilot in its single seat and can fly in all weather. The military currently has about 630, with plans to buy about 1,800 more throughout the next 20 years.

• Kind of technology: Fighter Jet
• Manufacturer: Boeing
• Cost: $102 million

This jet is rather impressive, a take on the military's Super Hornet craft, and it has many of the same features, including missiles and advanced radar jamming equipment that disrupts enemy communication. Used by militaries around the world, including the U.S. and Australia, this jet isn't meant for extreme air combat, but it's impressive nonetheless.

• Kind of technology: Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle
• Manufacturer: Oshkosh Defense
• Cost: $1 million

There are many of these in existence, and the program hovers at more than $41 billion. The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle, known as MRAP, is an essential vehicle for warfare in places known for roadside bombs, like Iraq and Afghanistan. This vehicle is bullet-proof and explosion-proof, a machine that's particularly well-suited for enduring explosions due to its V-shaped design. The vehicles weigh up to 18 tons and towers at over nine feet tall.

• Kind of technology: Helicopter
• Manufacturer: Boeing Defense, Space & Security
• Cost: $19.7 Million

During 2023, around 77 Apaches were made and delivered worldwide, with a significant additional amount set for 2024. The cost will be close to $828 million. The Apache has many weapons on board, an advanced radar system, and it has many defensive tricks, including shielding between the two copilots, so if one is hurt, the other can continue to operate the copter.

• Kind of technology: Transport Plane
• Manufacturer: Boeing Co, McDonnell Douglas, Boeing Defense, Space & Security
• Cost: $328 Million

The Globemaster is one of the most advanced transport planes in the world. On any given flight, it can transport 102 soldiers in full gear along with all their equipment. It can also carry huge tanks and humvees and drop them out of the plane at a moment's notice. This plane is in use by the armies of NATO, United Arab Emirates, Canada, and Australia. A new Globemaster hasn't been in production since 2015.

• Kind of technology: Plane
• Manufacturer: Boeing
• Cost: $600 Million

This aircraft is what the President of the United States takes to travel. This Boeing VC-25 costs a fortune to operate, with a price of almost $206,000 an hour to fly. The plane has a top speed of 629 mph, can fly at up to 45,100 feet, and can travel up to 13,000km at one time. The plane has flares to defend against heat-seeking missiles and radar-jamming technology.

• Kind of technology: Missile
• Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
• Cost: $30 million

The Trident II Missile program cost a total of $53.2 billion, with each missile with about a $30 million price tag. It's in use by both the British and U.S. Navy. The missile launches from a submarine, and it can hit a target at 13,000 miles per hour. although a significant amount of money was spent on this program, and none of these missiles has ever been fired. That's likely because it's equipped with a nuclear warhead. (The $53.2 billion is the money spent by both America and England.)

• Kind of technology: Navy Plane
• Manufacturer: Boeing Co, Boeing Defense, Space & Security
• Cost: $290 million

The P-8A Poseidon started as a commercial plane but is now a fully functional military craft. This plane is equipped with many different armaments, from depth charges to anti-ship missiles to torpedoes. One of the main purposes of this plane is to launch attacks over the water. It is also equipped with the ability to drop sonobuoys and the power to conduct anti-submarine warfare.

• Kind of technology: Nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine
• Manufacturer: General Dynamics Electric Boat
• Cost: $4.3 Billion

Each Virginia-class submarine costs about $4.3 billion, with a total project cost of around $84 billion. The Navy buys two of these each year and currently has 22 in active use, with 18 more set to launch. This incredibly powerful sub is equipped with Tomahawk missiles, mines, and torpedoes. The sub also has powerful sonar enhancements. The newest models are considered to be among the most heavily armed submarines in Naval history.

• Kind of technology: Helicopter
• Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin, AgustaWestland, Bell Textron
• Cost: $241 million

Originally conceived to replace Marine One, the helicopter that transports the President from place to place, it was never completed. The project was canceled in 2009 but it's still an impressive machine. This fast chopper was capable of carrying four crew members and countless pieces of equipment. It could climb into the air at 2,010 feet per minute and had a maximum speed of 193 miles per hour. When the project was canceled, the completed helis were sold to Canada to be used as spare parts.

• Kind of technology: Stealth Fighter
• Manufacturer: Chengdu Aerospace Corporation
• Cost: $110 million

This jet has long-range and air-to-air missiles, as well as internal cannons for close-combat and anti-radiation missiles. There's also advanced technology to protect the pilot, including engine management and fire control systems. The Black Eagle can fly at supersonic speeds, reaching up to 1,305 mph and it has a rate of climb of 60,000ft/min.

• Kind of technology: Destroyer
• Manufacturer: Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding
• Cost: $1.843 billion

Each of these massive destroyers costs more than one billion dollars, but the expense of the entire fleet is closer to $101.8 billion. A destroyer is fast and highly maneuverable and has a mission of protecting bigger ships from short-range attacks. This ship has a wide range of weapons, including Tomahawk missiles, anti-surface missiles, 5-inch guns, and mine detectors, among others.

• Kind of technology: Reconnaissance Plane
• Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
• Cost: $232 Million

This large reconnaissance plane is an upgrade from the previously produced E-2C Hawkeye. It has better communications and radar equipment than many facilities on the ground. The design of the plane allows it to fly in almost every kind of weather, aiding the Navy carry out missions. It can fly up into the air at 2,515 per minute, travel at a maximum speed of 402 mph, and is 57 feet long with an 80-foot wingspan.

• Kind of technology: Missile System
• Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
• Cost: $17.4 Million

This costly naval missile system uses advanced radars and computers to track enemy weapons and guide our weapons to destroy certain targets. As the name suggests, this system can be placed on ships at sea, so it's mobile and can launch weapons from almost anywhere. With over 70 of these missile systems in production, this project had a cost of over $1.2 billion in 2023 and is forecasted to cost over $835 million in 2024.

• Kind of technology: Military Plane
• Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
• Cost: $138 Million

In 2023, this plane had production orders for 21 additional units, which brought the overall yearly cost close to $2.3 billion. The C-130J Hercules is very maneuverable and can fly many places that other planes are unable to. These planes operate worldwide and have operators in over 70 countries.

• Kind of technology: Plane/Helicopter
• Manufacturer: Bell Textron, Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, Boeing Defense, Space & Security
• Cost: $118 million

This plane/helicopter hybrid is one of the most unique flying machines you'll see. It is capable of flying upwards like a helicopter or flying outward like a plane, so it can evade difficult circumstances. Production started in 1981, and it's still a valuable weapon today. The V-22 Osprey has been in use in transportation operations in Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan. This incredible plane can climb to 25,000 feet and get there at 3,160 feet per minute.

• Kind of technology: Helicopter
• Manufacturer: Sikorsky Aircraft
• Cost: $146 Million

This helicopter is costly, and there are many in production – FY 2024 has 15 on the docket and FY2025 to FY 2027 has 21. During 2023, there was $2.3 billion spent on CH-53K's (10 were produced), and in 2024, another $2.2 billion is on the budget. This helicopter is the most powerful helicopter currently used by the Department of Defense. It can carry 27,000 pounds, and it has a flying radius of 110 nautical miles.

A KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft connects with an F-15 Strike Eagle test aircraft from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, on Oct. 29th, 2018. The 418th Flight Test Squadron is conducting refueling tests with the fighter at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Although Edwards has almost every aircraft in the Air Force's inventory for flight testing and system upgrades, the base does not have F-15s, so the 40th Flight Test Squadron from Eglin is assisting with the KC-46A refueling tests. The KC-46A Pegasus is intended to start replacing the Air Force's aging tanker fleet, which has been refueling aircraft for more than 50 years. With more refueling capacity and enhanced capabilities, improved efficiency, and increased capabilities for cargo and aeromedical evacuation, the KC-46A will provide aerial refueling support to the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and allied nation aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt Michael Jackson).

Long trips require mobile gas stations and the Pegasus is a massive, flying fuel tanker.

• Kind of technology: Plane
• Manufacturer: Boeing Co.
• Cost: $194 Million

In 2024, the military will spend close to $3 billion on 15 of these powerful KC-46A Tankers, an increase from the $2.5 billion from the previous year. Known as the Pegasus, this incredible plane has a wingspan of 156 feet, and it can take off with 415,000 pounds on board (including the plane). It can hold both soldiers and equipment and also has defensive technology and weapons on board to protect the lives and items inside.

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment conduct air movement training in preparation for their upcoming deployment at the Joint Multinational Training Command's Grafenwoehr Training Area, Bavaria, Germany, Aug. 13, 2013. (DoD photo by Gertrud Zach, U.S. Army/Released)

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment conduct air movement training in preparation for their upcoming deployment at the Joint Multinational Training Command's Grafenwoehr Training Area, Bavaria, Germany, Aug. 13, 2013. (DoD photo by Gertrud Zach, U.S. Army/Released)

• Kind of technology: Helicopter
• Manufacturer: Sikorsky Aircraft
• Cost: $18.3 Million

Each unit may not amount to the price of others listed here but the total cost for the UH-60 Black Hawk program in 2023 was $1.2 billion in 2023 (50 more are on order for 2024). Primarily an army vehicle, the black hawk is capable of carrying large loads and many of them are modified for use by civilians and third-party companies. The copter can hold 12 fully-equipped service members and has a window for guns so soldiers can defend the craft while it's in the air.

• Kind of technology: Fighter Jet
• Manufacturer: Boeing Co, McDonnell Douglas, Northrop Corporation
• Cost: $94 million

America's first strike fighter is an impressive combination of bomber and fighter, which affords it the capabilities of attacking enemies on the ground and in the air. This Hornet is used by militaries around the world, including Israel, France, Canada, and Switzerland, and is capable of flying at Mach 1.8 (1,190 mph).

The vessels we've seen on this list are all rather impressive, but if you want to know what not to do, then check out some of the worst aircraft disasters in military history.