Massive $13 Billion Order Placed for Doomsday Plane
US Aerospace company Sierra Nevada has secured a massive $13 billion contract from the US Air Force to produce a ‘doomsday plane.’ The agreement, signed with the U.S. Department of the Air Force, will see Sierra Nevada Corp. develop and manufacture the Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) to replace the aging E-4B Nightwatch aircraft.
The E-4B, also known as the National Air Operations Center (NAOC), serves as a vital component in ensuring command and control during a nuclear war or other catastrophic emergencies. With the current fleet of E-4Bs reaching the end of their service life, the US Air Force has awarded Sierra Nevada $59 million in research, development, test, and evaluation funds to kick start work on the SAOC.
The SAOC development and production contract includes the delivery of engineering and production development aircraft, production aircraft, ground systems, and interim contract support. Sierra Nevada will be utilizing facilities in Englewood, Colorado; Sparks, Nevada; Beavercreek, Ohio; and Vandalia, Ohio for the project.
The SAOC will be constructed from a modified version of a commercial derivative aircraft and will incorporate modern secure communications and scheduling capabilities. Ground support systems for the SAOC will comprise of aircrew and mission crew trainers, maintainers, ground support equipment, test and sustainment system integration laboratories, and other systems.
The activities under the contract are slated to be completed by July 10, 2036. This significant investment by the US Air Force in Sierra Nevada’s SAOC project highlights the importance of maintaining a robust and secure command and control infrastructure for critical national defense operations.
Source: Defense News
