A specialised US Navy aircraft, known as a 'Doomsday plane,' embarked on a mysterious transatlantic mission on Friday, promptly vanishing from public flight-tracking systems. The Boeing E-6B Mercury took off from Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, and its last known position was east of Virginia Beach over the Atlantic Ocean.
The Disappearance Act
Flight data indicates the aircraft, operating under the callsign AFD FE2, followed a standard southeastern path. It travelled over the Chesapeake Bay, passed the Norfolk naval complex, and continued offshore. Approximately 60 miles east of the Virginia Capes, the aircraft's public transponder signal ceased. This practice of 'going dark' is a standard and expected procedure for the E-6B Mercury during sensitive operations, not indicative of a malfunction.
Once over the open ocean, the aircraft typically enters classified warning zones. There, it deploys a multi-mile-long trailing wire antenna and flies in racetrack-shaped patterns for four to eight hours. During this time, it conducts its primary duty: transmitting secure test messages to US ballistic missile submarines and ground stations.
A Flying Nuclear Command Centre
The Boeing E-6B Mercury is one of only 16 such aircraft in existence. It serves as a survivable command-and-control hub for the US Strategic Command, the Secretary of Defence, and even the President of the United States. Its most critical function is to transmit orders to execute nuclear strikes if ground-based command centres are destroyed in a conflict.
This mission is part of the TACAMO (Take Charge and Move Out) programme, a vital component of Operation Looking Glass. The fleet's purpose is to ensure seamless communication with America's strategic nuclear forces, including submarines, bombers, and missile silos, during a national emergency. The aircraft is uniquely hardened to withstand the effects of a large-scale electromagnetic pulse from a nuclear detonation, relying on robust analogue technology that is less vulnerable than modern digital systems.
Context and Previous Activity
This flight occurred the day after the US Thanksgiving holiday, a period where strategic forces often briefly scale back operations before returning to full alert status. This is not an isolated incident; in March, flight trackers documented five separate missions involving the Mercury aircraft. One was tracked departing Tinker Air Force Base and circling over Omaha, Nebraska, the location of the crucial Offutt Air Force Base, a key nuclear command and communications centre.
Built by Boeing between 1989 and 1992, the E-6B fleet remains a cornerstone of US strategic deterrence. While its sudden disappearance from public view may seem alarming, it is a routine part of ensuring the aircraft can perform its ultimate, grim duty without being tracked.
