Rolls-Royce Wins Contract for U.S. Military’s Nuke-Proof ‘Doomsday Plane’

Date: 25 May 2024 - 22:15

News ID: ۱۲۷۶۸۲

WASHINGTON (Euronews) - Rolls-Royce has been chosen to supply technology for a new version of the American military aircraft nicknamed the “Doomsday plane” for its ability to survive a nuclear blast.
The engineering giant is joining a group of aerospace companies working on the Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) project, which aims to develop a successor to the U.S. Air Force’s E-4B planes – militarized versions of the Boeing 747-200 jumbo jet that have been in service since the 1970s.
Normally used to transport the Secretary of Defence, the E-4Bs are also designed to function as a mobile command centre during national emergencies – should ground facilities be knocked out – with the aircraft capable of being refuelled in the air and withstanding nuclear blasts and electromagnetic pulses.
Four of the planes are currently in service and at least one is always kept on alert at a U.S. military base somewhere in the world.
Each one can seat up to 111 people, including the flight crew. In an emergency they are designed to carry the U.S. president, the secretary of defense and the joint military chiefs, with the ability to give orders to American forces across the globe while in flight.
Within the E-4B’s main deck is a command work area, conference room, briefing room, operations team area, communications area and rest area, according to the U.S. Air Force.
In April, the Pentagon awarded a $13bn contract for developing the next generation of Doomsday planes to defence giant Sierra Nevada Corporation.