GE Aerospace to upgrade GEnx-2B engines for USAF’s next “Doomsday plane”
GE Aerospace has been selected by Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to upgrade the GEnx-2B engines for the United States Air Force’s (USAF) new Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) based on the Boeing 747-8 aircraft. This project will support various pre-delivery activities for the SAOC aircraft.
“The GEnx will serve a crucial role in national security and provide superior performance and reliability required for the US Air Force,” said Brady Hauboldt, Vice President of Aviation Strategic Plans & Programs at SNC. “We are proud to have GE Aerospace as a key part of Team SAOC.”
In April 2024, SNC recently secured the SAOC contract from the USAF to develop a successor to the current E-4B Nightwatch aircraft fleet, which is powered by GE Aerospace’s CF6 engines.
Boeing’s exclusion from the competition for the E4-B’s replacement, revealed in December 2023, left SNC as the sole contender. The following month, SNC acquired five Boeing 747-8s from Korean Air.
Sierra Nevada acquires Korean Air Boeing 747-8s for ‘Doomsday Plane’ replacement
DefensebyClement Charpentreau2024-05-09
Replacing the “Doomsday plane”
The E-4 Nightwatch, a modified version of the Boeing 747-200, is designed to provide the President, the Secretary of Defense, and other high-ranking officials with a secure means of communicating with military forces worldwide in the event of a national emergency.
It features shielded avionics and compartments to protect against electromagnetic interference and external radiation, the conditions arising after a nuclear attack. Thus, the E-4 earned the nickname ‘Doomsday Plane’. The updated B standard, implemented in the 1980s, increased its operational autonomy to 72 hours by adding an aerial refueling capability.
Four E-4Bs are currently on active duty with the USAF 1st Airborne Command Control Squadron, part of the 595th Command and Control Group based at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The post GE Aerospace to upgrade GEnx-2B engines for USAF’s next “Doomsday plane” appeared first on AeroTime.
GE Aerospace has been selected by Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to upgrade the GEnx-2B engines for the United…
The post GE Aerospace to upgrade GEnx-2B engines for USAF’s next “Doomsday plane” appeared first on AeroTime.
