Lockheed's 1970s/1980s Stealth Bomber What-if

Perhaps because it was built in secret and designed to be invisible, the stealth bomber is unforgettable the moment you see it. What few remember, though, is that the iconic silhouette almost looked like this. Here's the story of how Senior Peg came to be, why we didn't get it, and why we might want it back.

Some aircraft are so notorious that they require no introduction — the P-51 Mustang and F-14 Tomcat are as much a part of pop culture as they are a part of military history. Yet there is one aircraft that is so identifiable and so intimidating that once you see it for the first time two simple words are forever etched in your mind: STEALTH BOMBER.

It is the most expensive and complex intra-atmospheric flying machine ever built. This big boomerang of death and destruction remains so futuristic looking that it is almost impossible to believe that it has been invisibly prowling the world's skies for two and a half decades. The unique and downright breathtaking shape of B-2 is such a common fixture on the walls of grade school boys across the country that it is hard to imagine that America's beloved "stealth bomber" could have been any different than the one we have come to respect and our enemies have come to fear. Yet the truth is that the USAF's bat winged masterpiece could have had a stubby tail, a faceted windscreen and a Lockheed Skunk Works logo on the control yoke..

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