US company purchases vintage aircraft for development of modern nuclear disaster solutions.
Five passenger jets that were previously used by Korean Air have been bought by the Sierra Nevada Corporation, a company involved in creating replacements for the US Air Force's fleet of strategic military aircraft known as "Doomsday" planes. These planes serve as command-and-control centers in the case of a national emergency where ground-based facilities may be destroyed or incapacitated, potentially allowing the president, secretary of defense, and members of the Joint Chiefs, among over 100 people, to control US forces from the air. The Doomsday planes are built to withstand the effects of an electromagnetic pulse, a devastating electrical burst caused by a nuclear explosion. These planes must be able to function despite such an event and could even serve as a mobile Pentagon. One of these planes is always on alert, stationed at a military base somewhere in the world.
On Friday, a spokesperson from Sierra Nevada officially confirmed the purchase of the Korean Air planes but refused to provide more information. However, on April 26, Sierra Nevada was given a $13 billion contract to develop and produce the Survivable Airborne Operations Center, which is the official name of the new Doomsday plane. The project is expected to be finished by 2036, says a Defense Department release. Sierra Nevada opened a large maintenance and repair facility at Dayton International Airport in Ohio in 2021, and construction on a second hangar of the same size has begun. Plans show a 747-800 inside the facility. The 747-800s would be an improvement over the older and smaller 747-200s used currently in the Doomsday plane fleet.
In 2021, Korean Air announced that they would be selling five of their planes to Sierra Nevada as part of a plan to introduce new aircraft into their fleet. The airline said in a statement that this sale is part of their "mid- to long-term introduction plan for new aircraft," and they anticipate the deal will be completed by September 30, 2025. As of October 2023, Korean Air's fleet contained nine 747-800 passenger jets.
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The recently acquired Korean Air planes by Sierra Nevada, including 747-800s, could potentially be used for innovative travel solutions in the future. With their modern technology and capability to withstand extreme conditions, these planes have the potential to revolutionize various sectors, including travel.
Source: edition.cnn.com
