Next-gen 'doomsday planes' to boost U.S. nuclear readiness

During the Cold War, there was an anticipated risk of global nuclear conflict involving NATO and the Warsaw Pact, both expected to launch significant nuclear attacks. It was assumed that other nuclear-capable states might also participate. The risk was of catastrophic destruction, threatening human civilization as we know it and complicating survival on Earth for generations.

Due to these threats, attempts were made, particularly in the USA and the USSR, to safeguard at least a portion of the state's capabilities for an uncertain future. One component of this "survival system" was the creation of so-called doomsday planes, or doomsday aircraft.

"Doomsday planes" are designed to serve as airborne command centres. By taking to the skies after detecting an enemy ballistic missile launch, they provide relative safety for the crew. They are equipped with features like enhanced resistance to electromagnetic pulses (such as those from a nuclear blast), protection against cyberattacks (in newer models), and the use of analog navigation instruments.

In the USSR, the Ilyushin Il-80 was developed, meant to be replaced by the delayed Ilyushin Il-96-400M program. In the USA, the EC-135J was succeeded by the E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post, version B. This aircraft ensures the safety and operational capability of the National Command Authority, including the President, Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and key officials since 2002. These planes accompany the President's travels aboard Air Force One.

In addition to the airborne command centres, other aircraft like the E-6B Mercury (a command and communications post supporting strategic command), E-3 Sentry early warning and control aircraft, E-8 Joint STARS (ground surveillance and command support aircraft), and the RC-135 Rivet Joint (an electronic reconnaissance aircraft), are identified as "doomsday" planes.

Today, some tasks of these aircraft are undertaken by unmanned RQ-4 Global Hawks. Alongside aircraft handling critical tasks that must remain airborne for extended periods (often several days continuously), the last airborne fleet of the USA requires extensive support machinery such as aerial refuellers (e.g., KC-135 or KC-46).

A crucial role in the USAF and the overall "strategic resilience system of the USA" is held by the E-4B Nightwatch aircraft. Only four of these aircraft were built, with three in basic form and one as version B; they were eventually standardized. They all belong to the 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron, part of the 595th Command and Control Group based at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska.

The E-4A was developed in the 1970s from the Boeing 747-200 passenger plane, with deliveries beginning in 1973 and concluding by October 1974. The third model was initially powered by GE F103 engines, which replaced the propulsion in the earlier models. By the end of 1979, the first E-4B was delivered, and older planes were upgraded to this standard by January 1985. The program cost was estimated at $548 million (around $3.76 billion in 2023). In the early 2000s, the aircraft underwent a $2 billion upgrade. Operating costs for the small E-4B fleet amount to hundreds of millions annually.

Built from famous Jumbo Jets, these aircraft can accommodate up to 112 people, including crew, mission personnel, and key passengers. Civilian aircraft were extensively modified, incorporating features like in-flight refuelling; one fuel test achieved an uninterrupted flight of over 35 hours, but theoretically, the plane can remain airborne for a week.

The aircraft has three decks: the upper deck houses the flight crew and navigation equipment; the middle deck comprises (from front to back) a galley, a VIP suite, a conference room with a nine-person table, a service and briefing room, an operations team room (with stations for 29 people), a communications room (six stations), and a rest area. The lower deck contains water tanks, battery accumulators, VLF and SHF SATCOM transmitters, a 5-mile spool-wound TWA antenna for communication with underwater missile carriers, and other equipment. One machine is always kept on standby, ready to take off.

The E-4B planes, produced as early as 1979, are considered old. In 2006, retiring them from service was proposed, but ongoing needs have delayed this repeatedly. The successor development program, the E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center, began in 2019. It's expected that the E-4B will serve until 2039.

The Pentagon awarded Sierra Nevada Corporation a $13.1 billion contract to develop the new "doomsday plane," commencing with an initial $49 million payment. This stage will extend until July 2036, during which the company must develop, prototype, and deliver an initial production aircraft. Ultimately, the US Air Force will acquire eight such planes. The base model will again be a modern version of the Jumbo Jet, the 747-8, from used units since production has ceased. Specific units for conversion have already been chosen.

The detailed requirements for such an important machine are unknown, but it is supposed to provide secure, comfortable working conditions for the top three American wartime leaders. Modifications for enhanced electromagnetic pulse resistance and a possible active defense system installation are expected. As a command, control, and communication centre with the US Armed Forces, it will incorporate various communication systems, including those for managing the nuclear arsenal.

Before transforming into the E-4C, a used Boeing 747-8 is likely to be dismantled and reassembled, taking to the air in a few years. In subsequent years, its interior will become one of America's most closely guarded military secrets (materials from the interior of the E-4B have only recently been revealed). The aircraft will undergo multiple test flights and trial alarms, ideally never needing to be deployed for real emergencies.