| Defense News Aerospace 2024
On April 29, 2024, the US Air Force announced the selection of Sierra Nevada Corporation to develop the next generation of E-4B aircraft, commonly known as the "Doomsday Planes". This colossal $13 billion contract aims to replace the four aging aircraft currently in service.
Sierra Nevada Corporation Next-Generation of E-4B aircraft, commonly known as the "Doomsday Planes" (Picture source: US DoD)
The E-4B, officially designated as the Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC), plays a crucial role in the national security of the United States. In the event of a major disaster or nuclear attack rendering ground infrastructures unusable, these aircraft serve as mobile command posts to direct military operations, execute emergency war orders, and coordinate civilian responses.
The former E-4B model, also known as the "Nightwatch" or "Doomsday Plane", serves as an airborne command and control center for the highest military and political hierarchy of the United States in the event of a major crisis, including a nuclear war. Based on the Boeing 747-200, this flying command center is designed to operate in extreme environments, with protections against electromagnetic pulses and the thermal and radiological effects of a nuclear explosion. The E-4B is equipped with advanced communication technologies, including encrypted satellite links and very low-frequency radios for direct communication with nuclear submarines. In service since 1974, these aircraft have been regularly used not only as strategic command posts, but also as transportation means for the Secretary of Defense during international travel, ensuring continuous command capability outside the continental United States.
From their first operational mission in March 1980 until the end of the Cold War, the E-4Bs were dispersed across the United States to ensure that one aircraft was always available everywhere. One E-4B was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington D.C. to evacuate the President in the event of a surprise attack, a role now assigned to the Boeing VC-25A, better known as Air Force One. At least one other aircraft was based at Offutt, the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command, which was responsible for the aircraft. Fortunately, the NEACP has never been used for its primary role, and to make the most of its four aircraft, the US Air Force uses them to support FEMA, the federal emergency management agency, in natural disasters, and to transport the Secretary of Defense during his travels. During the Cold War, an aircraft also followed all the President's foreign trips because the E-4B is much better equipped than Air Force One. Today, all aircraft are based at Offutt, under the administrative and logistical authority of the Air Combat Command and the operational authority of the US Strategic Command. Their maintenance was carried out until May 2014 at the Boeing factory in Wichita and since then at the Boeing factory in San Antonio. The lifespan of an E-4B is estimated at 115,000 flight hours and 30,000 cycles (takeoff, flight, landing), with an expected limit in 2039. In October 2020, the USAF hopes that studies for their replacement will begin in 2021 for an entry into service in 2025.
Sierra Nevada Corporation, based in Colorado, was chosen after a competitive selection process where two offers were in contention. The new contract provides for the delivery of the aircraft by July 2036, with an initial commitment of $59 million for research, development, testing, and evaluation for fiscal year 2024.
The new model will be based on the Boeing 747-8, the largest and newest in the 747 series, introduced in 2010. Although production of the 747 ended in 2023, Sierra Nevada plans to acquire used aircraft that it will completely refurbish to meet the specific requirements of the SAOC mission. These aircraft must be able to withstand an electromagnetic pulse and be protected against the thermal and radiological effects of a nuclear explosion.
In addition to their defensive role, SAOC aircraft are designed to be versatile, able to be used for humanitarian missions or crisis management in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This modularity would allow the cabin to be transformed to transport food or seriously injured, thus adding considerable value in terms of disaster response.
This fleet renewal comes at a time when international security is increasingly threatened, requiring highly resilient and technologically advanced aerial reaction and command capabilities.
The decision to award this contract to Sierra Nevada rather than Boeing, which is experiencing difficulties with its commercial and government programs, marks a turning point in the military aerospace industry and underscores the importance of supplier diversification for critical defense and national security projects.
