U.S.Aair forceOn October 2nd, it was announced that the US Air Force has suspended the replacement of the E-4B "Doomsday Aircraft" due to the consideration of adopting new procurement methods.

The service originally planned to release a proposal for the "Survival Airborne Operations Center" program in December, which will officially begin searching for alternatives to the four aging E-4B night vision airborne command posts currently located at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

However, the program has recently been awarded the title of "Procurement Category 1D", which is a label for major weapons programs that require oversight from defense procurement executives - in this case, Deputy Secretary of Defense for Procurement and Maintenance, Allen Lord.

Due to the adoption of a new name, the United Statesair forceIn the tender released to SAM.gov on October 2nd, it was stated that "the procurement strategy is being updated and coordinated with stakeholders. " Other detailed information regarding the progress/update schedule will be released in 2011. In the near future

The iconic blue and white E-4B, nicknamed the "doomsday plane" due to its ability to withstand nuclear explosions, has two purposes: to provide a safe and viable command center in the event of a nuclear war, and to transport defense secretaries around the national defense forces. The world.

E-4B originates fromBoeingThe 747-200 was introduced by the Air Force in 1974. However, after nearly 50 years of service, the aircraft is approaching its service life and maintenance personnel find it difficult to keep up with its development. Necessary maintenance to maintain the normal operation of a small fleet, especially considering the requirement to always keep at least one aircraft in an alert state.

According to the SAOC plan, the Air Force plans to purchase new commercial derivativesaircraftReinforce it to withstand nuclear explosions and add modern communication, command, and control systems.