The U.S. Air Force has placed an order for the next-generation model of the E-4B, a military aircraft often referred to as the Doomsday Plane due to its ability to survive even a nuclear war. According to Reuters on the 26th (local time), the U.S. Air Force announced a contract worth around $13 billion with Sierra Nevada Corporation, a space aviation company, to develop the successor of the E-4B (Boeing Company) aircraft.
The Doomsday Plane, also known as the Last Day aircraft, is a military aircraft that serves as a sky command center in a crisis of nuclear war or large-scale conflict. It is equipped with durability to withstand explosions, a structure that can reflect electromagnetic pulses, and a state-of-the-art satellite communication system, earning it the nickname Winged White House. The current Doomsday Plane in use by the U.S. is Boeing’s E-4B. Each unit is $223.2 million and was first deployed in January 1980. The U.S. currently owns four of these aircraft. The E-4B furnishes six areas: a command center, meeting rooms, briefing rooms, an operations team workspace, a communications area, and a lounge. It can accommodate 64 crew members and stocks 32 individual communication systems. It also has the capability for in-flight refueling and a special mask in the cockpit to allow the pilot to operate even in the event of a nuclear explosion. The military aircraft, which becomes an airborne command and control center in emergencies, has drawn attention as the U.S. Air Force recently ordered a new aircraft. While the U.S. explained that the model change was due to difficulties in maintenance caused by aircraft aging, some have raised concerns that this could be preparation for a Third World War, given the growing tensions in the Middle East. The U.S. Air Force’s announcement about the E-4B’s aging is true. The E-4 platform, a militarized version of the Boeing 747-200 jumbo jet, was built in the 1970s and is nearing the end of its operational life.
Furthermore, with the end of the contract between the U.S. Air Force and Boeing last December, the development of the successor to the Doomsday Plane has been transferred to Sierra Nevada Corporation. The development of a successor has been under discussion for some time. The Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) project, which the U.S. Air Force has contracted for this time, is expected to be carried out in various locations such as Colorado, Nevada, and Ohio. It is expected to be completed around 2036.
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