USAF to get new doomsday planes, SNC to build Nightwatch fleet [Video]

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has received a $13 billion contract from the US Air Force to manufacture a replacement for the 1970s E-4B Nightwatch planes in the National Emergency Airborne Command Post role.

According to SNC, the contract for the new Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) is expected to run through July 2036. The program will replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of four E-4B planes, known as Nightwatch or the National Airborne Operations Center, which typically transport the Defense Secretary but can also act as a mobile nuclear command and control outpost.

The contract is a major boost for SNC, which has been modifying smaller aircraft. The company is now expected to modify Boeing’s own 747-8i aircraft.

The award to …