U.S. Navy's "Doomsday" Aircraft Vanishes Over Atlantic On Mysterious Mission

A U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury "Doomsday plane" disappeared from flight tracking platforms over the Atlantic Ocean. The plane, callsign AFD FE2, was last seen near Virginia Beach before its transponder was deactivated. E-6B aircraft serve as command-and-control hubs for US Strategic Command, the Secretary of War, and the President. They perform TACAMO missions, relaying communications to ballistic-missile submarines and other strategic assets. The E-6B fleet also executes the Airborne National Command Post “Looking Glass” mission. This includes the capability to transmit launch orders to ICBMs if ground centers are destroyed. Neither the Navy nor U.S. Strategic Command have commented on the recent flight. Previously, an E-6B was forward-deployed to Greenland, which experts deemed unusual. Historical forward operating locations have included Guam, Norway, Germany, Spain, and the U.K. Naval Strategic Forces conduct global operations in coordination with allies even in the High North.