Multiple “doomsday planes” designed for nuclear emergencies were spotted flying over the US shortly after CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Moscow, sparking speculation online.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an in-person visit to Moscow this week for talks with Russian officials. This was Ratcliffes first known trip there.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the meeting involved intelligence services, though he said there was no meeting with President Putin directly.
Peskov was cautious about reading too much into the visit, saying it’s too early to say how much impact it might have on the broader, currently strained relationship between the two countries.
What the aircraft are designed to do
Soon after Ratcliffe’s trip, at least five Boeing E-6 Mercury aircraft, often referred to as “doomsday planes,” were spotted flying over parts of the US West Coast and central states.
They’re part of the US Navy’s fleet of 16 E-6Bs and designed to communicate with ballistic missile submarines and serving as an airborne command post for US strategic forces if other systems go down.
Despite some misconceptions, however, they aren’t nuclear-bomb-proof.
According to The Daily Mail, flight tracking showed several of these aircraft moving across the country: one over the Colorado-Wyoming border at 24,000 feet, another near Kansas and Oklahoma at 30,000 feet, a third over Missouri and Arkansas at 35,000 feet, and a fourth near the Texas-Oklahoma border. A possible fifth aircraft was also tracked, though its identity couldn’t be fully confirmed.
A less alarming explanation
While it’s not confirmed why so many were airborne at the same time, NORAD had announced a “long-planned, routine, and defensive” military exercise called Amalgam Dart, running from August 24 to September 1.
The exercise involves forces from the US, Canada, and Alaska working on coordinated air defense operations and simulated scenarios.
It’s possible, though unconfirmed, that the E-6B sightings are connected to this exercise rather than anything urgently concerning.
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