The US military’s terrifying ‘Doomsday planes’ have taken to the skies as fears of a nuclear war inch closer to reality.
Flight-tracking data has captured multiple launches of the Navy’s E-6B Mercury strategic airborne command aircraft since the war in Iran began on February 28.
These giant planes, constructed using the frames of the Boeing 707, are built to survive a nuclear war and coordinate America’s military response from the air.
Specifically, the planes serve as a flying radio station and command center for the president and the Secretary of War, carrying special antennas that can even reach nuclear-armed submarines deep underwater.
Along with being able to talk to satellites, land-based military posts and underground missile facilities, the Mercury fleet is capable of controlling a nuclear strike should World War III break out and the US was already under attack.
Two E-6B Mercury flights were spotted over the US on March 2, one traveling from the Gulf Coast and landing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland and the other taking off from and later landing back at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
Since those flights, there have been reports from military news outlets of more E-6B launches heading across the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the reported flights ‘due to operations security.’
The US Navy’s E-6B Mercury is called the ‘Doomsday plane’ because of its ability to survive a nuclear war and coordinate a US military response
Flight tracking data on March 3 revealed an E-6B flight over the US which landed at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland
The main job of these planes is to carry out the ominous task called ‘Take Charge and Move Out’ or TACAMO.
Essentially, it means that the E-6B could be used to send orders from President Trump or top leaders to Navy nuclear submarines, even if normal phone lines or ground stations were to be destroyed.
In a crisis, the planes are sent to certain areas to stay in the air or near key spots. This keeps communication links alive if ground bases get hit or jammed.
In the Middle East, US military bases, embassies and other civilian targets have come under attack from Iranian missile barrages during the first week of the conflict.
The military typically launches them for readiness drills, training, or to show strength without actually calling on them to coordinate any strikes.
The threat of nuclear escalation has continued to mount since the initial strikes on Tehran by the US and Israel, with Iran’s allies in China and Russia both warning that the situation could spiral out of control and lead to a larger war.
According to reports, nuclear-armed Russia has begun aiding Iran by sharing intelligence on the positions of US forces in the Middle East, a move that could be the final spark that ignites World War III.
Despite being originally rolled out 40 years ago, the E-6 is still viewed as America’s most survivable aircraft that can carry out this potentially world-ending mission without failure.
The E-6B Mercury (Pictured) is capable of communicating with all of the US military’s forces from the air, from submarines to underground missile installations
Another E-6B flight was seen taking off from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska on March 2 and returning hours later. Offutt is believed to be one of the bunkers the president could flee to during a nuclear attack
Two E-6B Mercury flights were reportedly seen headed for the Middle East on March 5, days after the war with Iran began
The planes carry a standard crew of 22 and are more than 150 feet in length. The Navy reported added that each Doomsday plane costs $141.7million.
Doomsday planes can travel approximately 7,000 miles and stay airborne for nearly three days while refueling in the air. They can reach an altitude of 40,000 feet, higher than normal commercial jets.
The E-6 has been in service since the 1980s when they were first tasked with carrying out TACAMO during the final years of the Cold War.
The E-6A, an earlier version of the Mercury, was upgraded in the late 1990s to the current E-6B version, which added the high-frequency communications arrays, and was also given a mission codenamed ‘Looking Glass.’
Looking Glass is the military’s airborne strategic command post which facilitates the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
