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.
The US Air Forced announced a $13 billion contract to develop craft to replace the aging Boeing planes that are used to protect the president during a nuclear attack.
Sometimes called the “doomday plane,” Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) is meant to be a strategic command-and-control military aircraft used in war and in emergency situations.