Acceptance of the second aircraft just six months after winning the “Survivable Airborne Operations Center” (SAOC) contract award from the Air Force in April represents “substantial and swift progress on the vital program,” the company said.
Under that contract from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, SNC will modernize and deliver a replacement for the Air Force’s current fleet of E-4B “Nightwatch” aircraft.
“This highly specialized aircraft serves as an airborne command center for the president (POTUS), secretary of defense (SECDEF) and chairs of the joint chiefs of staff (CJCS) to ensure continued critical command, control and communication (C3) during national emergencies,” SNC noted.
“Our team is diligently focused on these major milestones to ensure we continue to reduce risk and keep development of this essential capability on or ahead of schedule,” Jon Piatt, executive vice president of SNC for ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), said in a statement. “Arrival of this second aircraft is an exciting step forward in meeting the customer’s stated needs and as we strive to exceed expectations. In parallel, we continue to invest in our facilities and capacity to address the growing demands of the SAOC program as well as that of our other DoD (Department of Defense) customers.”
Earlier this month, SNS cut the ribbon on the second maintenance, repair and overhaul facility — called an “Aviation Innovation and Technology Center” — the second such hangar built in Dayton since World War II, while ceremonially breaking ground on the same day for planned third and fourth such hangars.
The aforementioned Air Force contract is one of the largest aircraft modernization contracts awarded to a company other than an original aircraft manufacturer, indicating “a new acquisition approach that truly prioritizes open systems and fosters innovation, speed and life cycle cost competitiveness,” SNC said.
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The contract came from the center’s workforce at Hanscom Air Force Base in Lincoln, Mass.
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