Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has accepted the second Boeing 747-8i to be modified into the US Air Force’s E-4C Doomsday aircraft in Dayton, Ohio.
Held at the firm’s Aviation Innovation and Technology Center, the handover is part of a $13-billion program to replace the service’s 1970s-era E-4B Nightwatch planes in its Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) role that maintains command, control, and communication between the highest US officials in national emergencies or a nuclear war.
“Our team is diligently focused on these major milestones to ensure we continue to reduce risk and keep development of this essential capability on or ahead of schedule,” SNC ISR, Aviation & Security Executive Vice President Jon Piatt stated.
“Arrival of this second aircraft is an exciting step forward in meeting the customer’s stated needs and as we strive to exceed expectations. In parallel, we continue to invest in our facilities and capacity to address the growing demands of the SAOC program as well as that of our other DoD customers.”
The Survivable Airborne Operations Center Program
SNC teamed with Collins Aerospace and Rolls-Royce to deliver components that will be fitted into the Doomsday aircraft a month after it received the prime SAOC award.
In August, the Sparks-based company opened a 90,000-square-foot (8,361-square-meter) hangar in Dayton to support the development of the future Doomsday system.
The company then expanded its Aviation Innovation and Technology Center and revealed the construction of two more sites in the region two months later to further provide assistance for E-4C production.
It was reported that five decommissioned Boeing 747s from South Korea will be reconfigured into the US military’s new Doomsday fleet.
SNC is expected to manufacture the planes until 2036.