New doom, who dis?
The US Air Force has awarded Sierra Nevada Corp a 13 billion USD contract to deliver its Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) aircraft fleet – a contract that is by far the largest program for the privately held company.
SNC beat out traditional prime contractor Boeing for the program, which will replace the current fleet of E-4B Nightwatch 'doomsday' planes. The award is notable as SNC, whose traditional programs have been smaller aircraft modifications, will likely modify Boeing’s own 747-8i aircraft for the fleet.
The cost-plus-incentive fee contract, with a fixed-price-incentive-firm target, includes an initial award of 59M USD. It covers the development and production of the SAOC Weapon System, including delivery of engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) aircraft, associated ground systems, production aircraft and interim customer support. Work is expected to be completed by July 2036.
In a statement, the Air Force said development of SAOC is critical to ensure the nuclear command, control and communications capability of the US. The commercial-derivative aircraft will be hardened and modified to meet military requirements. It will also integrate secure communications and planning capabilities with modern information technology.
https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/sierra-nevada-wins-us-air-force-nightwatch-replacement-contract
The award:
https://www.defense.gov/news/contracts/contract/article/3758114
>Boeing can't win contracts about modifying their own planes
Grim.
They're also buying used airframes because both Boeing and airbus aren't currently producing 4 engined wide bodies. So they're looking to pick up 3-8 year used 747-8s.
>3-8 year used 747-8s.
Grim
Commercial Airlines, and therefore Boeing Executives are (understandably) trying to get away from the 747, it’s just a money sink and for Boeing a wasted production line that could be used to churn out more modern wide body’s
there are basically just two big players left that have an interest in the Jumbo jet: the US government and Lufthansa
>more modern widebodies
like what their 777x that is on certification phase for 14 fricking years?
I wouldn’t trust Boeing to unclog a toilet at this point, nevermind build and maintain planes. Some new blood getting in the aerospace defense industry game is desperately needed, considering what the boomer execs at Boeing have done in skinning and flaying that company alive for every last drop of blood they can squeeze for their golden parachutes.
>women and muds hired to do work
>work isn't done
>jews and libtards hired to manage finances
>finances manage to end up in their pocks
IMPOSSIBRU!
E4B's airframes are still good until 2039-40 so plenty of time for potential delays and still have these enter service before the E4B's are falling out of the sky.
>not hiding in a massive oil rig off California days before nuclear war starts
Boooooring.
What happens when you run out of supplies?
You raid the coasts.
Ok so what happens when the Chosen One come knocking on your door, kill your best soldier and then blow up your oil rig?
That'd never happen, and I wouldn't worry about it. Also if you haven't salvaged things in like 100 years you're lazy homosexuals and deserve it.
You set up bases near the coast and trade or scavenge with the locals duh.
You go fishing.
Corruption, handouts or just Boeing being completely fricking incompetent and the job going to the most competent bidder? I think most of the latter with a bit of the other two.
Boeing refused to agree to a fixed price contract since when they did it with the airforce one replacement bid they're stuck with $2B payday for a $4B program.
>Boeing refused to agree to a fixed price contract since when they did it with the airforce one replacement bid they're stuck with $2B payday for a $4B program.
Also Starliner. Boeing has simply become institutionally so corrupt and used to cost-plus that they are literally incapable of figuring out fixed price and meeting a budget, and they know it. So they don't bid on those anymore. Which still works in areas they have more of a monopoly or when they can offer good enough performance, but those areas are shrinking as the rot accelerates.
Boeing/MccyD stitchup and turning it over to the Jack Welch business school of bullshit thinking is going to go down as one of the biggest strategic errors by the US of the post-CW era.
Ah, that makes sense. I know Northrup has been publicly complaining about the B-21 program as they were hit with a several billion dollar projected loss on the program through to like 2027.
The A380 being a useful, IIRC profitable and very loved financial dumpster fire of a program doesn't help either. It's an amazing aircraft, but it's just not as useful as cheaper widebodies.
same anon here
>The A380's estimated $25 billion development cost was not recouped by the time Airbus ended production.
Profitable per aircraft if you don't include R&D. That's what I meant. "profitable but also a dumpsterfire" was a poor choice of words.
>Northrup has been publicly complaining about the B-21 program as they were hit with a several billion dollar projected loss on the program through to like 2027.
Not that bad
> The “after-tax cash impact” of the loss will be spread over several years, Warden said. That amount is about $1.19 billion.
> the effect will be “an average of a couple of hundred million dollars a year of after-tax impact” on the B-21 program over about five years, after a higher amount in the earlier part of that period. The 2023 effect was a $143 million loss on B-21.
And they're confident that in the long term they'll earn money on the program as a whole.
as long as the airforce commits to 140-200 B-21s in the long term, northrup will be happy as can be.
If they only build 100 (or god forbid fewer) northrup will make a few billion profit, or a small loss or maybe break even if they only end up buying ~70-80.
But with the expected 100-200 northrup will be satisfied.
>they're stuck with $2B payday for a $4B program
>willingly put Trump's dick in your mouth while offering him an unaffordable discount
>"Gross! Who made me, Boeing, put Trump's dick in my mouth and offer him an unaffordable discount!"
The absolute unmonitored remote airstrip of Boeing Aircraft Corporation.
I don’t know shit about the E4B or anything related to Air Force One and doomsday planes, but why can’t they just use a 777? Boeing still rolls them out new (albeit slowly) and it saves the issue of having to purchase older used airframes.
Before you reply calling me a moron, I’m just a normie civilian aircraft mechanic with a hard on for the 777. What warrants the need for it to be specifically a 747?
>What warrants the need for it to be specifically a 747?
Bigger.
Just like with Airforce One, for security/safety reasons you need 4 engines for redundancy if you lose one, or even 2 engines, a 4 engine plane can keep going for awhile. The only 4 engine wide-body jets of that size are the A340, A380, and 747, all of which are not currently being produced. (A340 in 2011, A380 in 2021, and 747 in 2023)
That leaves the airforce with the choice of using used planes as your base and then modify them, or get boeing/airbus/whoever to custom build you a handful at an exorbitant price (billion+ per plane kinda price)
it's not an airline making ends meet, and at the same time it's a plane that probably won't fly all the time and require the maintenance checks required by flying 15+ hrs/day.
Having access to the highest possible interior volume and engine redundancy also make sense in a "doomsday plane".
Is this purely down to diversification? Spreading risk away from sole contractor problems with Boeing being in the shitter?
How does one bite the bullet on deciding that a new contractor can be read into all the system integration stuff entailed by having to do the nuclear triad C2 & continuity of government stuff? Sounds like one of the largest possible onboarding chores for any single project, on its face.
Apart from maybe, idk. The CIA archives
They should have a fast and stealth-modified business jet with the ability to land on water (once). This is to quickly get the President away and land near a nuclear submarine at sea. The submarine can then hide for months underwater with the President until the fallout ends. Secret supply stashes should be established on remote islands for the sub to replenish food, medicine, ammo and parts.
they should have a totally normal plane with normal passengers and all, the president should be in a realistic mask so it isn't obvious it's him, all commands should be relayed through common phrases spoken to a certain flight attendant.
"when will the food cart come through" - Nuke China
"how long until we land" - Nuke Russia
"I'll have an appletizer please" - Nuke Germany
could deck out the shitter with some secret stuff too that only the prez would know about.
>Some moron trying to have a smoke in the airplane shitter accidentally starts WW3
Brilliant!