U.S. Air Force adds $12M for AI agents on doomsday plane

The U.S. Air Force added $12.1 million to Scale AI's contract for agentic artificial intelligence supporting the E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center, bringing the total contract value to $44.3 million. The aircraft will replace the E-4B Nightwatch and provide an airborne command post for national leadership and military forces, including nuclear forces, if ground facilities are disabled. Work will take place in San Francisco through November 5, 2027, with $5 million in fiscal 2026 research and development funding obligated at award. The contract notice did not specify the agents' tasks, deployment architecture or level of human control.