staff@slashgear.com (Matthew Lee)
2024-05-06 11:45:30
www.slashgear.com
While very few details are known about the SAOC at the moment (for obvious reasons), concept art already exists. The future plane will most certainly be based on the Boeing 747-8i –- the largest and last variant of the 747 produced by Boeing. Redundancy is crucial for an aircraft as vital as the SAOC, making the four-engine 747 the only suitable candidate for this role. In addition to offering extra space for more electronics compared to the older 747-200, the new GEnx turbofans should provide significantly better range and fuel efficiency than the old General Electric CF6 engines.
Operationally, the SAOC will take up the role the E-4B currently plays. Appearance-wise, the SAOC is remarkably similar to its predecessor, too, with a satellite communication (SATCOM) antenna bulb atop the 747’s iconic hump. Scattered along the centerline of the SAOC’s fuselage as well as the underside are antennae for the communication systems on board.
Small differences can be seen in the SAOC’s concept art compared to the E-4B, though. For instance, atop the tail of the SAOC is a new antenna of unknown purpose. Given the U.S. Space Force’s commitment to utilize commercial, militarized SATCOM like SpaceX Starshield, it may be a new receiver for such services.
The only component missing from the concept art is the VLF towed antenna array. However, considering its crucial importance, we believe it is simply omitted from the concept art rather than being absent from the SAOC altogether.