FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — People around the Central Valley looked up Sunday, March 8, to see a large, unmarked airplane flying unusually low and repeatedly circling the area.
The aircraft spent nearly two hours making mock landings at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport, according to observers.
The plane was identified as a Boeing E-6B Mercury, often referred to as a “Doomsday Plane.”
People around the Central Valley looked up Sunday, March 8, to see a large, unmarked airplane flying unusually low and repeatedly circling the area (FOX26 NEWS).
“It’s an airborne control for all of the nuclear triad or the nuclear systems of the United States,” Retired Air Force Major General Clay Garrison, Castle Air Museum Chairman, said.
E-6B Mercury flight tracker (Map: Flightradar24)
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The only visible markings are the Navy’s white five-pointed star centered on a dark blue circle, along with red-and-white bars.
The aircraft is designed to be resistant to electromagnetic pulse, or EMP.
The E-6B Mercury serves as a communications relay and strategic airborne command post.
“Manages the nuclear forces from an airborne command post in the event that the command post on the ground, off it, was taken out in a surprise attack, if you will, or if it’s just out of service or whatever that would be,” Major General Garrison said.
Its mission is to provide “survivable, reliable and endurable airborne Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3)” for the president, the secretary of defense, and U.S. Strategic Command.
“They can control the bombers, if the bombers are on alert, they can control the missiles, because the missiles are always on alert, and obviously they can control our ballistic missile submarines,” Major General Garrison said. “It’s all combined into one.”
The Navy operates two operational squadrons of the aircraft: the “Ironmen” of Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 3 and the “Shadows” of VQ-4.
The planes deploy from their main operating base at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, supported by the Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) Weapons School and the “Roughnecks” of Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 7, a fleet replacement squadron.
Aircrews also deploy to forward operating bases at Travis Air Force Base in California; Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska; Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland; and other locations as directed.
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