Washington to launch £10 billion fleet of "doomsday planes
Washington has decided to build a new fleet of "doomsday planes"—flying command posts designed to ensure the continuity of government decision-making in the event of a nuclear war. Unlike before, the planes for this program will be sourced from outside the United States.
11 May 2024 13:48
The budget for the construction of these new "doomsday planes" is an impressive £10 billion. In early May, it was announced that the contract had been awarded to Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). Although SNC is not an aircraft manufacturer per se, it specializes in aircraft modifications. It plans to procure the necessary airframes from the Korean Air airline.
The contract details disclosed so far do not specify the number of "doomsday planes" to be produced, although constructing up to eight planes is considered likely. The currently operated fleet consists of four Boeing E-4B Nightwatch planes, which have been found insufficient.
Duties of the doomsday plane
Four Boeing E-4B Nightwatch planes, constructed in the 1970s from passenger Boeing 747s, fill this crucial role. The new plan to build specialized aircraft intends to use, once again, the Jumbo Jet airframe, a design that ended production over a year ago. Thus, acquiring used aircraft has become the only viable option.
Consequently, the "new" doomsday planes will be adapted from Jumbo Jets, which previously operated in South Korea. So far, it is known that Sierra Nevada Corporation intends to acquire at least five Boeing 747-8i from Korean Air.