The US Air Force has clarified the circumstances surrounding the ‘doomsday plane’ and its recent ‘highly unusual flight’.
The Boeing E-4B ‘Nightwatch’, often referred to as the ‘doomsday plane’, embarked on a four-hour journey from Bossier City, Louisiana, taking off at 5:56pm ET and landing at Joint Base Andrews at 10:01pm ET on Tuesday, June 17.
The US maintains a fleet of four E-4B aircraft, with the ‘doomsday plane’ being prominently utilized during emergencies such as the events of September 11, 2001.
Many observers were taken aback when the ‘doomsday plane’ made its way to Joint Base Andrews, following an atypical flight path from Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, Louisiana.
This aircraft functions as a command center for the president and senior military officials during catastrophic events, including nuclear warfare.
The plane is designed to withstand nuclear explosions and electromagnetic pulses, making it invaluable during disasters.
The US Air Force states: “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.”
There was speculation that the flight was connected to ongoing tensions in the Middle East between Israel and Iran.
However, the US Air Force has clarified that the recent flight was ‘unrelated’ to these developments.
“The E-4 flew a pre-scheduled mission yesterday, within the United States, that was unrelated to current events in the Middle East,” an Air Force spokesperson informed Snopes.
Israel has been carrying out strikes in Tehran, the Iranian capital, since June 13, without direct US involvement so far.
In response, Iran has launched its own missiles, with some penetrating Israel’s Iron Dome defenses in Tel Aviv.
Israel faced another round of Iranian strikes on Friday, June 20, following an earlier attack on a hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel. Iranian state media indicated that the target was a military site adjacent to the hospital rather than the hospital itself.
President Donald Trump has announced that he will decide within two weeks whether the US will assist Israel, while speculation about targeting the Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has surfaced on social media by the 47th President.
When questioned about potential US military action against Iran, Trump stated earlier this week, “I may do it, I may not do it. Nobody knows what I’m gonna do.”