Sierra Nevada Awarded DoD Contract To Build Next-Gen 'Doomsday Plane'
Aerospace and defense company Sierra Nevada Corporation won the $13 billion Pentagon contract to develop a successor to the "Doomsday Plane" that serves as a mobile command post in the event of nuclear war.
The current 1970s-era Boeing E-4B "Nightwatch" serves as the National Airborne Operations Center and is a key component of the National Military Command System for the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
However, the fleet of E-4B Nightwatch, which can withstand nuclear blasts and electromagnetic effects, is aging and needs to be replaced.
![](https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/2023-12-02_09-21-53.png?itok=EJGzg3Md)
That's where Sierra Nevada comes in with the new Survivable Airborne Operations Center project, which will replace the E-4B Nightwatch by 2036.
"In case of national emergency or destruction of ground command and control centers, the aircraft provides a highly survivable command, control, and communications center to direct US forces, execute emergency war orders, and coordinate actions by civil authorities," explained an E-4B Nightwatch fact sheet produced by the US Air Force.
![](https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/2023-12-02_09-23-22.png?itok=KkXJ5tnS)
In December, Reuters sources said Boeing - the incumbent manufacturer of the E-4B Nightwatch, https://www.zerohedge.com/military/boeing-drops-out-usafs-doomsday-replacement-plane-competition
with the Air Force on data rights and contract terms for the replacement plane.
Currently, the Air Force operates four E-4B Nightwatch planes, with at least one on full alert at all times.
Given Boeing's https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/boeing-doom-loop-endless-crises-sends-shares-tumbling-longest-losing-streak-five-years
, it's probably best that Sierra Nevada was awarded the project for one of the nation's most important aircraft.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Sat, 04/27/2024 - 13:25
https://www.zerohedge.com/military/sierra-nevada-awarded-dod-contract-build-next-gen-doomsday-plane