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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteSierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) won a U.S. Air Force contract valued at $13,080,890,647 to develop and produce the Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC), the planned replacement for the E-4B Nightwatch fleet. The award covers a weapon system—not the purchase price of one airplane—and the contract work is expected to be completed by July 10, 2036.
What the $13.1 billion contract covers
The Department of Defense announced the award in April 2024. Its total value is $13,080,890,647, or about $13.1 billion. The scope includes development aircraft, ground systems, production aircraft and interim contractor support, as well as the broader weapon system effort. The award amount should not be read as a per-plane price. Department of Defense contract announcement
The announcement gives an expected contract-work completion date of July 10, 2036. That date is a schedule marker for the contract; it does not establish when SAOC aircraft will enter service. Department of Defense contract announcement
What SAOC is meant to replace
The E-4B Nightwatch is the current aircraft associated with the National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC). The Air Force describes the E-4B as providing “a worldwide, survivable, and enduring command center for the President, Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” In an emergency, the mission is to help preserve command, control and communications for national leaders. Air Force Global Strike Command overview of the E-4B and NAOC
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NAOC is more than a nickname for an aircraft. The Air Force describes a mission capability that includes aircrew, mission-system operators, joint battle staff and a Raven security detail aboard the aircraft. SNC says SAOC is intended to replace the E-4B fleet, carrying forward the high-level airborne command-center role. Air Force Global Strike Command overview of the E-4B and NAOC SNC announcement of the SAOC award
What is publicly known about the replacement aircraft
In December 2024, SNC reported transferring a 747-8i to Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research for the next stage of SAOC engineering and manufacturing development. This confirms that a 747-8i was part of the development effort; the announcement does not establish that every production or operational system will use the same configuration. SNC’s 747-8i transfer milestone
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The cited public announcements establish the replacement mission, contract scope and development milestone, but do not provide detailed performance specifications for the new system. They do not establish the replacement’s specific survivability systems, communications architecture or measured operational performance. Those details should not be inferred from the program name or aircraft model.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Contract value is not the same as the annual budget request
The contract’s overall value and annual federal funding requests describe different things. The Congressional Research Service reported that the FY2026 budget request included $1.8 billion for SAOC. That is a request for one fiscal year, not the total contract amount and not, by itself, evidence that Congress appropriated the money. Congressional Research Service report updated January 8, 2026
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