Donald Trump's 'doomsday plane' was reportedly airborne yesterday evening, mounting speculation as conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate.
The Boeing E-4B 'Nightwatch', commonly known by its nickname 'doomsday plane', took off on a four-hour flight from Bossier City at 5:56pm ET, landing at Joint Base Andrews at 10:01pm ET last night.
The US has four E-4B aircrafts in its fleet, with the 'doomsday plane' having been used in emergencies such as 9/11 - and it appears to have been activated this week.
The 'doomsday plane' touched down at Joint Base Andrews late last night following an irregular flight path from Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, Louisiana.
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Essentially, the aircraft serves as a command post for the president and top military officials in the event of catastrophic events and even a nuclear war.
It can theoretically withstand nuclear blasts and electromagnetic pulses, meaning it can be very useful in the event of a disaster occurring.
The US Air Force explains: "In case of national emergency or destruction of ground command and control centers, the aircraft provides a highly survivable command, control and communications center to direct U.S. forces, execute emergency war orders, and coordinate actions by civil authorities."
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The use of the aircraft has sparked worries surrounding the ongoing issues across the world as the plane is typically used during major national or global crises.
However, it's important to clarify that the fleet does make routine flights throughout the year.
Official confirmation as to why the plane left the hangar this week remains unclear, though it comes amid rising tensions in the US.
Israel has been conducting strikes in Tehran since June 13, which so far has gone on without US involvement. In retaliation, Iran has fired back its own missiles, with some even getting through the country’s Iron Dome defenses in Tel Aviv.
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Trump has certainly not shied away from talking about Iran, stating the country must come to make a new nuclear deal now or face more strikes and further death.
Taking to Truth Social recently, the president wrote: "We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran. Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured ‘stuff.’ Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA.”
In a follow up post, he added: “We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Topics: Donald Trump, Military, US News
Callum Jones