TechWashington to launch £10 billion fleet of "doomsday planes

Washington to launch £10 billion fleet of "doomsday planes

Visualization of the future SAOC aircraft

Images source: © Sierra Nevada Corporation

11 May 2024 13:48

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.

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.

The new planes, designated as the SAOC (Survivable Airborne Operations Centre), are set to replace several older aircraft that served similar, albeit slightly varying, roles. These include the Boeing E-6 Mercury flying command posts and the Boeing C-32, which is used by the country's highest authorities, excluding the president.

Duties of the doomsday plane

The primary purpose of the "doomsday plane" is to maintain the continuity of command and control capabilities of the country during a nuclear war. Should ground decision centres be destroyed or become incapable of communication, this aircraft, equipped with complete communication facilities, is designed to endure an atomic strike for the nation's highest authorities.

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.

The choice for this unconventional approach stems from the requirement of the doomsday plane to have four engines – a criterion only met by the now-discontinued Boeing 747.

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.