The US and Russia hold the world’s only “Doomsday Planes” capable of launching nuclear strikes and surviving enemy attacks. As the NATO-Russia conflict continues, these terrifying aircraft have gained new significance. Recently, the United States European Command (EUCOM) tweeted a photo of a US Navy E-6B Mercury airborne command post and communications relay plane that had landed in Iceland.
The US Navy’s Nuclear Command: E-6B Mercury
The crew of the US Navy E-6B Mercury was said to have met with the US ambassador to Iceland and other diplomatic and military leaders. Wing One, based out of the Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, is the US Navy’s nuclear command and control wing. Its primary mission is to receive, verify, and retransmit Emergency Action Messages (EAMs) to US strategic forces, directing US nuclear forces to launch strikes against enemy targets in conditions of nuclear war.
In addition to its ability to deliver launch orders to ballistic missile submarines, the E-6B Mercury can remotely order ground-based Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile silos to launch their payloads. The EAM network is also highlighted for possible use in the execution of the Pentagon’s “Prompt Global Strike” plans, which involves the disarmament of a nuclear-armed adversary and the “decapitation” of its political and military leadership through the massed launch of conventional ballistic and cruise missiles.
Russia’s Doomsday Plane: Ilyushin Il-80 “Maxdome”
Russia operates three Ilyushin Il-80 (NATO reporting name “Maxdome”) airborne command and control aircraft, built in the 1980s. In response to the Pentagon’s “Prompt Global Strike” plans, Russia has created new advanced hypersonic missiles and other weaponry, warning the Pentagon that any attempt to “declaw” Russia’s strategic arsenal would result in “unacceptable” losses, including the possible destruction of American cities.
The US has deployed its doomsday plane to Europe in the past, with an E-4B Nightwatch transferred from Edwards Air Force Base in California to RAF Midenhall in the UK last March. As a part of a fleet of aircraft that accompanied President Biden during last year’s emergency NATO summit and meetings with European officials.
The presence of “Doomsday Planes” in Europe raises concerns about the possibility of a nuclear attack. The deployment of these aircraft, capable of launching nuclear strikes and surviving enemy attacks, heightens tensions between the US and Russia and could potentially lead to catastrophic consequences. The world holds its breath as it awaits the outcome of this dangerous situation.