USAF: ex-civvie Korean Air B747-8 pax jumbo's to replace USAF E-4 Nightwatch Doomsday planes...

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Stratofreighter
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USAF: ex-civvie Korean Air B747-8 pax jumbo's to replace USAF E-4 Nightwatch Doomsday planes...

Post by Stratofreighter »

https://simpleflying.com/korean-air-sel ... e-program/
Korean Air 747s to become Doomsday Planes

As per a Reuters report,
the Korean carrier will sell off five of its Boeing 747-8 widebodies for $674 million,
amounting to around $135 million per airframe.

The sale is expected to be completed by September 2025
and will leave the carrier with just four 747-8 passenger aircraft
as it continues its fleet modernization efforts.

The four-engined 747s will eventually replace the USAF's Boeing E-4B Advanced Airborne Command Post (AACP) aircraft,
which uses a modified Boeing 747-200B airframe.

This sale comes just weeks after the carrier confirmed a deal for 33 Airbus A350s valued at $13.7 billion.

Last month, Sierra Nevada was awarded a $13 billion contract to replace the USAF's E-4B fleet.
According to Defense News,
the contract will entail both the development and production of the aircraft and its associated ground systems.
...see
https://simpleflying.com/korean-air-sel ... e-program/
for more details.
Last edited by Stratofreighter on 19 Sep 2025, 11:49, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: USAF sept 2025: ex-civvie Korean Air B747-800 pax jumbo's to replace USAF E-4 Nightwatch Doomsday planes...

Post by Stratofreighter »

https://www.skyliner-aviation.de/regdb. ... av4&page=4
Boeing 747 -8B5 40905 1507 HL7630 Korean Air ferried 04jun24 ICN-DAY, basic cs, for Sierra Nevada Corp / USAF, for E-4 conversion
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Re: USAF sept 2025: ex-civvie Korean Air B747-800 pax jumbo's to replace USAF E-4 Nightwatch Doomsday planes...

Post by Bennie »

-800 = -8 AFAIK
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Re: USAF sept 2025: ex-civvie Korean Air B747-8 pax jumbo's to replace USAF E-4 Nightwatch Doomsday planes...

Post by Stratofreighter »

...okay, edited , I "slashed two zero's/double O's" in the title.... :oops: :wink:
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Re: USAF sept 2025: ex-civvie Korean Air B747-8 pax jumbo's to replace USAF E-4 Nightwatch Doomsday planes...

Post by Richard from Rotterdam »

Are serials known for the future E-4C fleet? Apparently the first has start flight testing end of August but I haven’t seen any photos of the new airframes yet.
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Re: USAF sept 2025: ex-civvie Korean Air B747-8 pax jumbo's to replace USAF E-4 Nightwatch Doomsday planes...

Post by Starfighter_F-104G »

N747EF DAGGR17 ''first'' flight 07-08-2025
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Re: USAF sept 2025: ex-civvie Korean Air B747-8 pax jumbo's to replace USAF E-4 Nightwatch Doomsday planes...

Post by T7 »

Richard from Rotterdam wrote: 07 Sep 2025, 11:00 Are serials known for the future E-4C fleet? Apparently the first has start flight testing end of August but I haven’t seen any photos of the new airframes yet.
No serials known yet. N747EF did a testflight from DAY on 7Aug .
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Re: USAF sept 2025: ex-civvie Korean Air B747-8 pax jumbo's to replace USAF E-4 Nightwatch Doomsday planes...

Post by Richard from Rotterdam »

T7 wrote: 07 Sep 2025, 12:10
Richard from Rotterdam wrote: 07 Sep 2025, 11:00 Are serials known for the future E-4C fleet? Apparently the first has start flight testing end of August but I haven’t seen any photos of the new airframes yet.
No serials known yet. N747EF did a testflight from DAY on 7Aug .
Thanks!
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Re: USAF: ex-civvie Korean Air B747-8 pax jumbo's to replace USAF E-4 Nightwatch Doomsday planes...

Post by Le Addeur noir »

Very slow with acquiring these B748s. One (at least) was still in service last week when I was at ICN.
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Re: USAF: ex-civvie Korean Air B747-8 pax jumbo's to replace USAF E-4 Nightwatch Doomsday planes...

Post by T7 »

N747EF 40906 currently at HAM since 30sep25
N747SN 40907 currently at DAY since 23jan25
N747US 40905 currently at IAB since 15nov24
N748GM 40908 currently at DAY since 29apr25.

At DAY, Sierra Nevada Corp is building a third hangar to convert here the 747s into E-4C's. I guess there is no space yet for the fifth 747. I don't know which one it should be either (HL7636?).
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Re: USAF: ex-civvie Korean Air B747-8 pax jumbo's to replace USAF E-4 Nightwatch Doomsday planes...

Post by Stratofreighter »

https://www.skyliner-aviation.de/regdb. ... av4&page=4
Boeing 747 -8B5 60407 1527 HL7636 Korean Air ferried 03-04dec25 ICN-ANC-DAY, for Sierra Nevada, for USAF
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