SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Air Force has added $12.1 million to its contract with Scale AI to develop artificial intelligence agents for the E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC), the planned replacement for the E-4B Nightwatch airborne command aircraft.
According to a Department of War announcement, the modification increases the contract’s total value from approximately $32.2 million to $44.3 million. The work will take place in San Francisco and is scheduled for completion by November 5, 2027. The Air Force obligated $5 million in fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation funds at the time of the award.
The original contract was awarded earlier in 2026 through the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Information Directorate in Rome, New York. The latest modification was issued by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts.
AI Agents for Airborne Command Operations
Agentic AI systems can plan and perform multi-step tasks, gather and organize information, and manage workflows under human supervision. However, the Air Force has not disclosed the specific tasks these systems will perform for the E-4C, whether they will operate aboard the aircraft or on supporting ground systems, or the level of human control required.
The E-4C is intended to replace the four E-4B Nightwatch aircraft, heavily modified Boeing 747-200s that entered service in the 1970s. The E-4B serves as the National Airborne Operations Center, enabling the president, secretary of defense and senior military commanders to direct U.S. forces, including nuclear forces, if ground-based command centers become unavailable. The aircraft are designed to withstand nuclear blast effects and can be refueled in flight.
E-4C Development and Testing
Sierra Nevada Corporation received an approximately $13 billion contract in April 2024 to develop and produce the replacement system. The company acquired used Boeing 747-8I airliners from Korean Air and is converting them in Dayton, Ohio.
The modifications include radiation and electromagnetic pulse protection, new communications antennas, computers and mission systems. The first E-4C test aircraft flew on August 7, 2025, with flight and ground testing continuing through 2026 to establish a technical design baseline before full mission equipment installation. Deliveries are planned to be completed by July 2036.
Scale AI’s Expanding Defense Role
Scale AI, a San Francisco-based company initially known for data-labeling services used to train AI models, has expanded into military AI applications.
In March 2025, the company received work under the Defense Innovation Unit’s Thunderforge project, collaborating with Anduril and Microsoft to integrate AI agents into military planning and operations. The project aims to support information synthesis, campaign development and wargaming under human oversight, initially focusing on U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. European Command.
Earlier in 2026, the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office increased the ceiling of a separate Scale AI agreement from $100 million to $500 million. Meta holds a minority stake in the company.
The additional $12.1 million supports Scale AI’s work on AI capabilities for the E-4C program as the replacement aircraft progresses through development and testing. The specific operational functions of the AI agents have not yet been publicly detailed.
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