WorldTekhno.com – The newest upgraded Doomday Plane has been delivered to the U.S. Naval Army. The aircraft is an upgrade from its previous version, namely by adding one with a new communication device to connect the ‘U.S. President’s red button’ with the country’s nuclear forces.
Northrop Grumman, as a contractor for U.S. military defense systems, delivered the E-6B Mercury aircraft to the U.S. Navy after finishing installing five new pieces of equipment on board. This device essentially enhances the aircraft’s command, control and communication functions.
“Northrop Grumman leverages cutting-edge technology in modernization, supporting the Navy’s mission to provide survivable, reliable and defensible airborne command, control and communications between the National Command Authority (NCA) and U.S. strategic and non-strategic forces for persistent mission readiness. “,” said Scott Pfeiffer, vice president of platform maintenance and mission readiness at Northrop Grumman.
What is the E-6B Mercury end-of-world aircraft?
The E-6B Mercury aircraft is essentially a flying command post that helps relay instructions from the National Command Authority, the ultimate authority that decides whether to press the “red button” for U.S. nuclear power and executes orders. Given its potential role in nuclear warfare, this aircraft is often referred to as the Doomday Plane.
The main idea of this combat vehicle is to become a much more reliable airborne command post for military command in the event of a crisis such as a nuclear war. Even if the worst happens, the E-6B Mercury Fleet will allow decision makers to communicate with their nuclear weapon delivery systems.
The airframe is actually a military version of the Boeing 707 commercial airliner. And it is capable of flying nonstop for more than 15 hours without refueling, but can also be refueled in flight and remain airborne for 72 hours. First flying in 1989 during the last years of the Cold War, the U.S. has a fleet of at least 16 of these aircraft.
One of the E-6Bs in the U.S. fleet was spotted flying over the English Channel in March 2022, a month after Russia invaded Ukraine. Its appearance fueled fears that geopolitical tensions in Europe could reach a breaking point, and the U.S. is believed to always have at least one E-6B in the air at any given time in what is considered an emergency.***
