A US “doomsday plane” was spotted circling the skies of Southern California, conducting refueling and testing, as the E-4B Nightwatch aircraft can serve as an airborne command center for the US president in times of nuclear war.
Russia ramps up nuclear threats, US says not concerned, but actions imply otherwise
In recent days Russia has ramped up its rhetoric of threatening to take nuclear action toward the West, as Reuters reported on April 29.
Reuters quoted a US defense official who said the United States does not believe Russia will use nukes.
“We continue to monitor their nuclear capabilities every day the best we can, and we do not assess that there is a threat of nuclear weapons and no threat to NATO territory,” the official told reporters, speaking on the condition of anonymity, according to Reuters.
Despite those remarks, sometimes actions speak louder than words, and just-surfaced evidence indicates that the United States must be taking Russia’s threats seriously.
A new report on May 4 stated that the so-called US “doomsday plane” was spotted conducting test operations over the skies of Southern California, according to the Express.
US ‘doomsday plane’ making test flights
The E-4B Nightwatch is an airborne command center for the US President and other vital staff in times of war, namely, a survivable mobile command post for the National Command Authority, which consists of the president of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and/or other successors and alternates.
The nickname “doomsday planes” came from the media, as the aircraft would be used in a doomsday scenario, such as the US coming under nuclear attack. In essence, the aircraft allows major elements of the US government to continue working from a survivable platform to conduct war operations in the event of or threat from a nuclear attack.
According to the this week’s report, an E-4B Nightwatch with test pilots and personnel out of Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, conducting aerial refueling and other exercises with test pilots of a KC-46 Pegasus and personnel from the 418th Flight Test Squadron, based out of Edwards Air Force Base, California.
A deeper look: What is the doomsday plane?
The E-4B Nightwatch, is officially known as the Boeing E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post (AACP) (NEACP). It’s designed to function as a strategic command and control military aircraft, serving as a survivable mobile command post for the National Command Authority.
According to reports, there are four E-4Bs, which are operated by the 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron of the 595th Command and Control Group located at Offutt Air Force Base, near Omaha, Nebraska.
The E-4B cost approximately $250 million each. Boeing was awarded a 5-year to billion-dollar contract in 2005 to upgrade the E-4B fleet continually.
Reportedly, it costs the Air Force nearly $160,000 per hour to operate an E-4B plane.
The E-4B aircraft can hold 112 people on its three operational decks. It can operate for a considerable period, mainly due to end-flight aerial refueling, which requires two fully loaded KC-135 tankers to refuel fully. The major limitation to flight time is the consumption of the engines’ lubricants. The plane can’t hold 112 people.
The E-4B aircraft is also weaponized, with state-of-the-art direct fire countermeasures. It has been designed to survive an EMP attack. The plane also uses traditional analog flight instruments, which are less susceptible to an EMP blast.
