The United States (US) Navy received its first-ever upgraded "doomsday" plane, which the aerospace and defense giant Northrop Grumman officially delivered.
Northrop Grumman successfully sent the upgraded aircraft to the Navy under its multi-million Integrated Modification and Maintenance Contract or IMMC.
US Navy Receives First-Ever Upgraded 'Doomsday' Plane
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND - MAY 26: The Navy Blue Angels fly over the U.S. Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony at the Naval Academy May 26, 2023 in Annapolis, Maryland.
The aerospace and defense giant announced in a press release that Northrop Grumman has successfully delivered the first E-6B aircraft, also known as the doomsday plane, to the US Navy.
Interesting Engineering reports that the "doomsday" aircraft acts as the network community backbone of the US Navy between the White House and its nuclear submarine fleet.
The upgrade to the E-6B includes new avionics, communications systems, and a self-defense system. The new avionics will allow the plane to fly for longer periods and in more challenging environments. Meanwhile, the all-new communications systems improve the plane's ability to transmit messages. And on top of that, the self-defense system will protect the plane from enemy attack.
It is worth noting that the upgraded E-6B is a significant improvement over the previous model. The new systems will make the plane more capable and more survivable. It should help to ensure that the Navy can continue to provide critical command, control, and communications capabilities to the fleet.
The E-6B is an airborne command, control, and communications platform, which the US Navy will operate.
As per Aero Time, the program manager of the US Navy PMA-271 acquisition command Captain Adam Scot says the "doomsday" plane would help them improve their "nuclear deterrence mission." He discloses, "During the past year, the team that fielded this capability worked tirelessly to implement improvements to deliver the Block II capability with urgency."
Northrop Grumman Integrated Modification and Maintenance Contract
The B-21 Raider is unveiled during a ceremony at Northrop Grumman's Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, December 2, 2022.
According to the Defence Blog, the US Navy awarded the aerospace giant Northrop Grumman the Integrated Modification and Maintenance Contract last February 2022. The agreement grants the firm an opportunity to work on the E-6B Mercury platform, which is heavily based on the commercial aircraft, the Boeing 707.
Interesting Engineering notes that the contract costs to the tune of $111 million. Besides that, the US Navy confirmed that it tapped Northrop Grumman to work on several other "Mercury" aircraft by 2027.
And with that, the Aircraft Maintenance and Fabrication Center of Northrop Grumman in Lake Center took charge of the massive project.
The aerospace and defense juggernaut says it has successfully installed "five kits" to the upgraded E-6B platform. The firm notes that its integration should take the "aircraft command, control, and communications functions to the next level."
Related Article: US Navy Awards Northrop Grumman Contract for New Maritime Navigation Sensor
