According to information obtained, the US Department of the Air Force has signed a 13 billion dollar contract with the company and Sierra Nevada Corp. to develop and supply the new aircraft that will replace the aging “Doomsday Plane”, the E-4B Nightwatch doomsday aircraft, US Air Force. This is an important victory for the company in a competition that had seen the surprise elimination of the aerospace giant Boeing.
The company will develop and produce the Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) to replace the E-4B. Activities under the contract are expected to be completed by July 10, 2036. The U.S. Air Force has awarded $59 million in research, development, test and evaluation funds to Sierra Nevada to immediately begin work on the SAOC .
The doomsday aircraft, officially called the E-4B National Air Operations Center (NAOC), is designed to allow the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the JCS – Joint Chiefs of Staff to direct the military in the event of nuclear war or other catastrophic emergency that destroys command and control centers on the ground. The E-4B is also capable of in-flight refueling and has conference and briefing rooms and advanced communications equipment.
The four current U.S. Air Force E-4Bs, at least one of which is always on alert, all operated by the USAF’s 1st Airborne Command Control Squadron (1st ACCS) which is part of the 595th Command and Control Group on Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska , have been flying since the 1970s and are near the end of their useful life.
The fleet of highly modified Boeing 747-200B jumbo jets has become increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain as parts become obsolete. The E-4B Nightwatch is expected to reach the end of its service life in the early 2030s.
The Sierra Nevada SAOC development and production contract will include delivery of engineering and production development aircraft, production aircraft, associated ground systems and interim contract support, the Pentagon contract announcement said. Work on the SAOC will be conducted in Colorado, Nevada and Ohio and is expected to be completed in 2036, the US Air Force added.
Sierra Nevada will build the SAOC from a hardened and modified version of a commercial derivative aircraft, thought to be between eight and 10 aircraft, the US Air Force said, and will also use a modular, open systems approach for future air system upgrades. SAOC weapon throughout its lifecycle, incorporating modern secure communications and planning capabilities.
SAOC ground support equipment will include training systems for flight crews, mission crews and maintainers, as well as ground support equipment, test and sustainment systems integration laboratories and other systems.
The SAOC program is also just one part of a larger effort within the U.S. military to modernize nuclear command, control and communications capabilities. The US Navy is also working to acquire a new C-130J Hercules-based “doomsday aircraft” with the ability to communicate with submerged nuclear ballistic missile submarines in support of the TACAMO mission now carried out by E-6B Mercurys currently being updated to the Block II standard.
Doomsday Plane: E-4B Nightwatch
The E-4B Nightwatch, is a militarized version of the Boeing 747-200, a four-engine, long-wing, long-range aircraft capable of refueling in flight. The main flight deck is divided into six functional areas: a command work area, a conference room, a meeting room, an operations team work area, a communications area and a rest area. A doomsday aircraft, E-4B, can include seating for up to 112 people, including a joint operations team, a U.S. Air Force flight crew, a maintenance and safety component, a communication and groups selected for the mission to be carried out.
E-4B Nightwatch is protected from the effects of electromagnetic pulse and has an electrical system designed to support advanced electronics and a wide variety of communications equipment. An advanced satellite communications system provides worldwide communications to leaders through the air operations center. Other improvements include shielding from nuclear and thermal effects, acoustic control, an improved technical control structure and an upgraded air conditioning system also for cooling electrical components.
To provide direct support to the US President, the Secretary of Defense and the JCS, at least one NAOC E-4B is always on alert 24/7 with a global control team at one of many selected bases throughout the world. In addition to its national and NC3 (Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications) mission, the E-4B provides support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which provides communications and command capabilities to the disaster relief center following natural disasters , such as hurricanes and earthquakes.
NC3 is the exercise of authority and direction by the US President to command and control US military nuclear weapons operations. The NC3 mission includes five essential functions: force management, planning, situation monitoring, decision making and force direction.
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