US Air Force pays $13 billion for new 'doomsday' planes (2024)

American is set to get a new fleet of 'doomsday planes' that some have said signal the nation could be preparing for World Ward III.

The US Air Forcedannounced a $13 billion contract to develop craft to replace the aging Boeing planes that are used to protect the president during a nuclear attack.

The funds were awarded to Sierra Nevada Corp, which will design a successor to the E-4B 'Nightwatch' that features a mobile command post capable of withstanding nuclear blasts and electromagnetic effects.

The project, called Survival Airborne Operations Center, is expected to be completed by 2036.

The current war climate has some believing the world is heading toward a nuclear war, as Russia has threatened to place nukes in space.

The Ukrainian war with the nation is still continuing and now there is conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine.

The Air Force has a fleet of four E-4Bs, with at least one on alert at all times, but the Boeings are aging and many parts have become obsolete.

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), an American aerospace company, said: 'SNC is building the airborne command center of the future!

'SAOC is a highly specialized aircraft that ensures continued critical command, control and communication during national emergencies for POTUS, Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff.

'We're honored to support this important mission.'

Boeing was let go as the sole provider of the doomsday planes in December 2023 after the company and US military could not agree on pricing for the next-generation fleet.

Details of SNC's design have not been shared, but the craft will likely resemble the current E-4B 'Nightwatch.'

The current doomsday plane includes an advanced satellite communications system, nuclear and thermal effects shielding, acoustic control and an advanced air-conditioning system for cooling electrical components.

The planes can also be refueled in the air and have remained airborne and operational for as long as 35.4 hours in one stint.

The engine can produce 52,500 pounds of thrust and the plane can carry up to 800,000 pounds.

Each E-4B 'Nightwatch' is 231 feet long with a 195-foot wingspan - and cost $223 million to make.

The Air Force said in the FY2024 budget request that SAOC will provide 'a worldwide, survivable, and enduring node of the National Military Command System (NMCS) to fulfill national security requirements throughout all stages of conflict,' according to SWNS.

'As a command, control and communications center directing US forces, executing emergency war orders and coordinating the activities of civil authorities including national contingency plans, this capability ensures continuity of operations and continuity of government as required in a national emergency or after negation/destruction of ground command and control centers,' the military branch added.

'SAOC will fulfill the requirements of the AF Nuclear Mission by providing Nuclear Command, Control and Communications (NC3) capabilities to enable the exercise of authority and direction by the President to command and control US military nuclear weapons operations.'

SNC has not revealed what airframe they will use for their doomsday planes.

The E-4Bs are operated by the First Airborne Command and Control Squadron of the 595th Command and Control Group, are coordinated by the United States Strategic Command and are stationed near Omaha, Nebraska, at the Offutt Air Force Base.

One of the doomsday planes was sent on a four-hour training flight in 2022 after Vladimir Putin placed Russia's nuclear forces on high alert.

Military flight tracking sites showed the modified Boeing 747 had departed from the US Air Force base in Lincoln, Nebraska and carried out a training flight with other specialist military aircraft.