Arthur McMiler
Sierra Nevada Corp. has started the construction of its Aviation Innovation and Technology Center, or AITC, to support the development of the U.S. Air Force’s Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft and other projects.
Located at the company’s campus at the Dayton International Airport in Ohio, the AITC will employ artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics and other advanced technologies, SNC said Tuesday.
The AITC’s construction follows the $13-billion U.S. Air Force contract that SNC secured in April for the SAOC program geared to replace the service branch’s four E-4B “Doomsday” planes, also known as Nightwatch.
The company’s AITC will bring to four its advanced facilities at the Dayton airport. The company operationalized in September its second 100,000-square-foot facility at the campus where two new hangars are also scheduled for completion in October 2025 and February 2026.
Expressing delight in the Dayton campus’ expansion, Mark Williams, SNC senior vice president of strategy, stressed that his company’s facilities are geared to meet the “growing demands” of U.S. military aviation.
“Our continued growth in the region allows SNC to harness the significant existing infrastructure and skilled talent pool that are necessary to deliver the transformative solutions our customers demand,” he added.
SNC’s other projects with the USAF include support to Textron’s Bell subsidiary for the design and development of mission systems for its proposed high-speed vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
