US aerospace firm Sierra Nevada secure $13 billion contract to build “Doomsday Plane”

News, US May 1, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

The United States Air Force announced that it had granted a $13 billion contract to the U.S.-based aerospace engineering firm, Sierra Nevada, to replace the aging E-4B Nightwatch aircraft, also known as “doomsday planes,” which are intended to operate during a nuclear conflict.

Under the contract, the company has been tasked to develop and propose the Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) aircraft. The project is expected to be completed by July 10, 2036. The Air Force has allocated $59 million in research, development, test, and evaluation funds to Sierra Nevada to initiate work on SAOC immediately.

“The development of this critical national security weapon system ensures the department’s nuclear command, control, and communications capability is operationally relevant and secure for decades to come,” the U.S. Air Force spokesperson said in a statement.

Little is known about the replacement for the Doomsday Plane, partly because so much of the program is classified and partly because it is still in development. However, according to some aviation experts, there is a possibility that a Boeing 747-8i would be used as the base aircraft, indicating that Boeing would remain in the contract to some extent.

The U.S. Air Force announced that Sierra Nevada will construct SAOC using a reinforced and adapted version of a commercial derivative aircraft, employing a modular open system methodology to integrate contemporary secure communication and planning features.

U.S. Air Force's E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post plane — *^{U.S. Air Force’s E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post plane. (Image Credit: Threads/Dailymail)}*

In addition to the plane, Sierra Nevada would also provide ground support systems and training programs for aircrew, mission crew, and maintainers, along with ground support equipment, test and sustainment system integration laboratories, and other necessary systems.

According to the Pentagon, Sierra Nevada’s contract for the development and production of SAOC will encompass the delivery of engineering and manufacturing development aircraft, production aircraft, and associated ground.

Doomsday planes

Primarily serving as transportation aircraft for the U.S. Secretary of Defense, the E-4B doubles as a mobile command center engineered to withstand nuclear explosions and electromagnetic interference.

The planes serve the purpose of enabling the U.S. President to command forces during scenarios like nuclear warfare or severe emergencies that render ground-based command-and-control centers inoperable.

The Air Force currently operates four E-4B aircraft, always ensuring constant readiness with at least one aircraft on standby. The fleet has been operational since the 1970s and nearing the conclusion of its service lifespan.

The maintenance of these extensively modified Boeing 747-200 jumbo jets has become increasingly challenging and costly as components become outdated. Anticipated to conclude its service tenure in the early 2030s, the E-4B faces retirement due to aging and technological obsolescence.