Among the many ads aired during Super Bowl 49 Sunday evening, one stuck out. One of the largest military contractors in the country, Northrop Grumman, aired a brief ad in which it hinted at a new mystery aircraft that could be joining the U.S. Air Force’s ranks in the future.

The 30-second ad depicts the most iconic planes built by Northrop Grumman, including the YB-35 bomber from the late-1940s to the current B-2 Spirit stealth bomber as well as a prototype drone for the Navy. However, what piqued the interest of some was the last aircraft, which appeared covered.

According to Reuters, this is the first time a military contractor has bought ad time during the Super Bowl.

A orthrop Grumman spokesman said the ad only aired in Washington, D.C. and Dayton, Ohio. The capital makes sense; after all, government officials and legislators purchase aircraft. Dayton, however, is just as important as it houses the Air Force Materiel Command, in charge of procuring weapons and writing contracts for the USAF.

Breaking Defense reports Northrop Grumman could be hinting at either a new sixth-generation fighter or the Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B). The latter in particular seems a more likely possibility, as the project could be already under way.

Defense One reported in July 2014 that the Pentagon may have already begun development of the LRS-B project and may be looking for bidders. The two companies vying for the project are Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin-Boeing.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed support for the LRS-B program in January, telling USAF members it “is absolutely essential for keeping our deterrent edge.”

“We need to do it. We need to make the investments. We'll have it in the budget. It's something I have particularly put a priority on,” Hagel told reporters, according to Military Times.

It will be a big investment. The LRS-B planes are expected to cost $550 million per bomber, but this number is likely to rise. The B-2s cost $2 billion each and we have a fleet of 21. The Pentagon wants 100 LRS-B planes.

But, why run a Super Bowl ad? Tyler Rogoway at Foxtrot Alpha posits the manufacturer could be trying to appeal to regular Americans as well as the government to inch them closer to winning the contract. He explains the contract will not end when the planes roll out of the factory, but will extent into the decades until the planes are retired.

Since the Pentagon’s Joint Strike Fighter program has drawn a lot of criticism, especially concerning its exorbitant price tag, it makes sense Northrop Grumman is wooing the American public with its mystery plane, as Rogoway explains, since the project will be much more if they win the contract.

Watch the ad below:

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