The E-4B National Airborne Operations Center — also known as “Nightwatch” — is built to withstand a nuclear attack and keep the federal government running from the skies.
To prepare for far more contested airspace, the U.S. Air Force is laying the groundwork for a series of radical transformations in how it approaches air combat that could cost at least tens of billions of dollars over the next two decades.
If the testing process were to slip further, "there's not a lot of leeway" to reach a decision on full-rate production by the end of fiscal 2023, Lt. Gen. Eric Fick said.