An Air Force E-4B National Airborne Operations Center aircraft sits at the international airport in Bogota, Colombia. (Jerry Morrison/U.S. Air Force)
(Tribune News Service) — Aviation mainteance, repair and overhaul company Sierra Nevada has received an Air Force contract that will create work at Dayton International Airport and Beavercreek.
Sierra Nevada Corp., based in Englewood, Colo., was awarded a $13,080,890,647 cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price incentive (firm-target), and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC), the Department of Defense recently said.
Sometimes called the “doomday plane,” the center is meant to be a strategic command-and-control military aircraft used in war and in emergency situations.
The current Boeing E-4 planes were built in the 1970s.
This contract provides for the development and production of the SAOC weapon system to include engineering and manufacturing development for the ground systems, production aircraft, and interim contractor support, the Pentagon said.
Work will be performed in Colorado and Nevada, as well as Beavercreek and Vandalia. It’s expected to be completed by July 10, 2036.
On X, Sierra Nevada said it 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 (president of the United States), SECDEF (secretary of defense) and CJCS (chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff). We’re honored to support this important mission.”
This contract was a competitive acquisition, and two offers were received, the DOD said. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $59 million are being obligated at time of award.
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Hanscom Air Force Base is the source of the contract. AFLCMC is based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
The current Boeing E-4 “Nightwatch” is a militarized version of the Boeing 747-200, a four-engine, swept-wing, long-range, high-altitude airplane capable of refueling in flight, according to the Air Force description.
The plane features a command work area, a conference room, briefing room, an operations team work area, communications area and rest area, with room for up to 111 people. It is designed to weather the effects of an electromagnetic pulse and boasts advanced electrical systems and communication equipment.
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