The new United States Air Force Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) has begun flight testing, according to news reports.
SNC, also called Sierra Nevada Company LLC, conducted the first test flight of the E-4C SAOC in August 2025 at its facility in Dayton, Ohio, according to the website Inside Defense. The aircraft will replace the E-4B Nightwatch National Airborne Operations Center, which has been in service since the 1970s.
The U.S. Air Force’s airborne operations centers are a critical part of its nuclear command, control and communications (NC3) capabilities. In the event of a national emergency or destruction of ground command and control centers, the aircraft provides a survivable NC3 center for the U.S. president and other top national security officials. The planes also support the Federal Emergency Management Agency, providing communications and command center capabilities during earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters, according to a U.S. Air Force fact sheet.
At least one of the aircraft is on alert 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a global watch team at one of several select bases around the world.
SNC purchased five Boeing 747-8I jets from Korean Air to build the E-4C fleet as part of a $13 billion Air Force contract awarded in 2024, according to a company news release. The contract includes development, modification, production aircraft, associated ground systems and interim support.
As of September 2025, four of the planes had been delivered to SNC’s Aviation Innovation and Technology Center in Dayton.
Modifications will include incorporation of modern open-architecture systems, advanced protection against nuclear and electronic attack, air-to-air refueling and modular mission systems that can be rapidly upgraded. The 747-8 platform also offers extended range and payload capacity compared with the older 747-200 (the E-4B platform), allowing more personnel, communications gear and other equipment to be carried aboard.
The aircraft are part of a network that includes ground facilities, submarines, bombers and satellites. Defense leaders have said that NC3 upgrades are essential to maintaining credibility in the face of advancing nuclear capabilities from competitors, including China and Russia.
Initial flight and ground testing is expected to continue into 2026 to establish the technical design baseline, according to a company news release, and will occur primarily in Dayton and Wichita State University’s National Institute of Aviation Research in Kansas. Once that technical baseline is established, work on the full fleet is expected to continue through 2036, according to The Aviationist website.