The Boeing aircraft designed to serve as an airborne command center for U.S. officials
ANDREA GERMANOS for Common Dreams
aircraft modified by the U.S.
military to be operated as a mobile command post and protect the president and
high-ranking officials in the event of a high-level disaster—went on a
reportedly unusual four-hour flight Monday following a perceived nuclear threat
by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to
multiple news reports, citing military flight tracking websites, the modified
Boeing 747, using the call sign GORDO15, made a round-trip flight from a U.S.
Air Force base in Nebraska to Chicago.
While the
aircraft engage in regular testing missions, Monday's flight was unusual, iNews reported,
because the plane was accompanied by two Cobra Ball jets with the ability to
track ballistic missile data.
The over $200
million "doomsday plane" is part of a fleet of E-4 series aircraft
which have been militarized from a Boeing 747-200B to function as the National
Airborne Operations Center. The E-4s have been in use since the 1970s, and at
least one of the planes is kept on alert at all times.
"The conduct of E-4B operations encompasses all phases of the threat spectrum," according to an Air Force description of the aircraft.
According to Boeing,
the aircraft have 13 external communications systems, are designed for missions
lasting 72 hours, and include "hardness" features to protect against
electromagnetic radiation and the effects of a nuclear blast.
An Air Force spokesperson told iNews that Monday's flight was "a routine sortie" and "not a response to actions taking place elsewhere in the world."
Monday's flight,
however, took place amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and just hours
after Putin ordered his
military's nuclear forces on "special alert."
The Pentagon this
week also announced Wednesday that it's postponed scheduled nuclear missile
tests for this weekend in light of the ongoing conflict.
"This is
not a step backwards in our readiness," said Pentagon
press secretary John Kirby, "nor does it imply that we will necessarily
cancel other routine activities to ensure a credible nuclear capability."