US Company Acquires Decommissioned Jets for Future Nuclear 'Doomsday' Plane Development
Imagine the economy-class seat you once occupied on a commercial flight being transformed into the nerve center for the United States' nuclear defense strategy. Learn how a US firm is repurposing old passenger jets to create the next generation of 'Doomsday' planes.
Your old economy-class seat on a flight in Asia could potentially become the spot where the United States nuclear weapons arsenal is managed.
This is because the Sierra Nevada Corporation, the contractor for the US Air Force's new fleet of strategic command and control military aircraft, has bought five Boeing 747 passenger jets previously used by Korean Air. These planes are often referred to as "Doomsday" planes.
Also known as the E-4B "Nightwatch," the Doomsday planes are like flying command-and-control centers for the US military. They are ready to take over if a national emergency, like a nuclear war, destroys or disables command facilities on the ground.
These planes could be like a flying Pentagon, carrying the US president, secretary of defense, and members of the Joint Chiefs, along with over 100 other people. They have the ability to command US forces worldwide from the aircraft, as stated in an Air Force fact sheet about the E-4Bs.
The Doomsday planes are specifically designed to endure the impact of an electromagnetic pulse, which is a powerful burst of energy triggered by a nuclear explosion. This pulse has the potential to disrupt and cause permanent damage to electrical components and entire systems across critical infrastructure sectors, affecting large-scale infrastructure, as stated by the US Department of Homeland Security.
According to the Air Force, there is always at least one Doomsday plane on standby, ready to respond to any emergency situation, stationed at a US military base located somewhere in the world.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the Colorado-based Sierra Nevada confirmed the purchase of the Korean Air jets but would not give any further details.
A Korean Air Boeing 747-800 landing at Rome Fiumicino airport.
A Korean Air Boeing 747-800 landing at Rome Fiumicino airport.
Fabrizio Gandolfo/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
Sierra Nevada was awarded a $13 billion contract by the Air Force on April 26 to develop and produce the Survivable Airborne Operations Center, also known as the new Doomsday plane. The project is expected to be completed by 2036, as stated in a Defense Department release.
In the previous year, Sierra Nevada inaugurated a 100,000-square-foot aircraft repair, maintenance, and overhaul facility at Dayton International Airport in Ohio. Additionally, the construction of a second hangar of similar size has already commenced.
An artist's drawing of the Dayton facility displayed a 747-800 parked inside.
These 747-800s are set to replace the older and smaller 747-200 aircraft currently in use by the Doomsday fleet, which have been in service with the Air Force since the 1980s.
Earlier this week, Korean Air revealed that they have sold five of their aircraft to Sierra Nevada for $675 million. The airline explained that this decision was made as part of their plan to introduce new aircraft in the mid- to long-term. They anticipate that the transaction will be finalized by September 30, 2025.
According to Korean Air's website, they had a total of nine 747-800 passenger jets in their fleet as of October 2023.
CNN’s Yoonjung Seo contributed to this report.
Editor's P/S:
The acquisition of Boeing 747 passenger jets by the Sierra Nevada Corporation for the US Air Force's Doomsday planes is a testament to the ever-evolving
