NIAR, SNC partnership to modernize USAF 747-8i aircraft

Wichita State University’s (WSU, Kan., U.S.) National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) announced a strategic partnership with Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC, Sparks, Nev., U.S.) a global aerospace and national security company. The partnership is part of the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) contract. 

In support of the SAOC program, one of two 747-8i aircraft has recently arrived in Wichita from SNC’s Aviation Innovation and Technology Center (AITC) in Dayton, Ohio. Delivery of the aircraft signifies the next phase of SAOC engineering and manufacturing development since the contract award in April 2024.

Under the USAF’s SAOC award, SNC will modernize and deliver a replacement for the current fleet of E-4B Nightwatch aircraft, which entered service in 1974. This highly specialized aircraft serves as an airborne command center for the president of the United States, secretary of defense and chairs of the joint chiefs of staff to ensure continued critical command, control and communication during national emergencies.

NIAR’s experience in composites and advanced materials, digital twin, advanced manufacturing technologies such as additive manufacturing, aircraft and component testing, and certification will enhance SNC’s ability to deliver an innovative solution to the USAF. 

“Our customers have asked for, and need, true open architecture systems solutions. Solutions free from constraints of intellectual property restrictions and that can be digitally twinned, in order to break vendor lock and reduce life cycle costs for important mission platforms such as the SAOC program,” says Jon Piatt, executive VP for SNC. “SNC’s expertise in commercial-derivative aircraft modification and open systems design architecture complement NIAR’s extensive digital modeling resources and talented aerospace engineering workforce. We look forward to what this strategic partnership holds for this important program and others to follow.”

“SAOC is a critical program that will ensure our nation is adequately prepared to ensure unfaltering communication during a national emergency,” said John Tomblin, WSU executive VP for WSU Research and Industry and Defense Programs and NIAR executive director. “This is the most significant industry contract in the history of the university.”

The USAF’s selection of SNC for the SAOC program marked one of the largest aircraft modernization contracts awarded to a company other than the OEM, indicating a new acquisition approach that truly prioritizes open systems and fosters innovation, speed and life cycle cost competitiveness. Throughout its 60-year history, SNC has continually worked to expand the industrial base and deliver OA solutions across domains.

The SNC-led SAOC team also includes global A&D industry companies Collins Aerospace, GE Aerospace, Greenpoint Technologies Inc., Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, NIAR and Rolls-Royce. This team harnesses its respective expertise to bring innovation, speed with discipline, optimal engineering and on-cost and accelerated deliveries to recapitalize the aged E-4B fleet with next-generation NC3 capabilities.