The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $13 billion contract to Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) to develop a new Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC), set to replace the aging E-4B Nightwatch, also known as the "Doomsday plane".
The Air Force's E-4B, which the president would use to direct forces during nuclear war, is nearing the end of its life and will be replaced by the SAOC.