The SAOC program aims to replace the Air Force’s aging E-4B
“Nightwatch” aircraft with a next-generation E-4C model. These aircraft serve
as airborne command centers, ensuring uninterrupted command, control, and
communication for U.S. national security leaders, including the president,
during emergencies. The current E-4Bs are known as National Airborne Operations
Centers, nicknamed “Doomsday Planes.”
In April 2024, Sierra Nevada Company LLC was awarded a $13
billion contract to integrate the replacement E-4C aircraft. The contract modification
announced on Friday raises the total contract value to $13,107,266,157 from $13,080,890,647.
The funding will cover repairs to stringer cracks on SAOC’s Engineering and
Manufacturing Development 1 aircraft. The repairs are a critical step in
ensuring the airframe’s structural integrity.
Per the contract announcement, all work will be performed at
Sierra Nevada’s facilities in Englewood, Colo., and is projected to conclude by
Dec. 31, 2027. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Hanscom Air Force
Base in Bedford, Mass., is overseeing the contract.
The new E-4C SAOC will be a highly modified Boeing 747-8i,
to replace the older 747-200-based E-4B fleet. The Air Force flies four E-4Bs today,
and SNC has purchased five 747-8is from Korean Airlines for the new SAOC program.
In 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received reports
about cracks that were forming on Boeing 747-8 stringers. As a result, the FAA issued
a new directive, requiring operators of all Boeing 747-8i and Boeing 747-8F
aircraft to complete detailed inspections for cracks.
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