Donald Trump’s ‘doomsday plane’ spotted in Los Angeles in rare sighting
Donald Trump’s nuclear-proof ‘doomsday plane’ designed for emergencies was spotted leaving Los Angeles this week.
The modified Boeing 747, known as the Advanced Airborne Command Post (AACP) and typically used to keep the president and defence secretary safe during a global crisis or an attack, was spotted landing in the Californian city on Thursday.
However, there was no cause for concern, as officials confirmed the Boeing E4-B Nightwatch was in the western state for a campaign highlighting US defence capabilities.
It was carrying Pete Hegseth, the US Defence Secretary, along with media correspondents as part of Hegseth’s ‘Arsenal of Freedom’ tour, which has also been part of a recruitment drive for the armed forces.
Flight trackers had also recorded the famous aircraft leaving its usual home at the Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday before heading to Washington, DC.
It’s unclear what function it was then performing or whether it was involved in an exercise.
The nuclear-proof jet is routinely transferred to other locations around the US, including the Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado and Kelly Field in Texas to support different missions.
However, before this week, the elusive aircraft had not been in the public eye for several years.
E4-B is designed to withstand an electromagnetic pulse intact and has an inflight re-fuelling function to allow it stay airborne for extended periods of time.
Why is the plane called ‘Nightwatch’?
Its nickname ‘Nightwatch’ comes from the eponymous Rembrandt painting, which depicts residents defending a town.
The special 747 is crewed 24 hours a day and is also typically deployed alongside Air Force One, the president’s regular aircraft for overseas visits.
It routinely lands at a second airport close to the head of state’s location to be on standby in case the usual plane is unusable or in the event of a sudden emergency. For example, it tracked Donald Trump on his state visit to the UK last year.
The ‘doomsday plane’ was allegedly most famously used by President George W Bush following the 2001 September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
There is no evidence that the Airborne Command Post was ever used to protect any of Bush Jr’s successors, Barack Obama, Joe Biden or Trump.
However, the emergency fleet is in the process of being replaced, with Boeing 747-8I aircraft having already been procured to be modified into E4-C airborne command posts.
Trump is not the world’s only head of state to have a mobile command post on call in case of emergency.
Vladimir Putin can call upon his nuclear blast-resistant ‘flying Kremlin’ stealth planes to keep him safe in the air.
The Russian-built modified $400 billion Ilyushin Il-80 has no passenger windows at all for added security, with the only view of the outside world from the cockpit.
Putin also has a fleet of three specially adapted Ilyushin Il-96-300PU aircraft – thought to be his plane of choice when he flew last year to meet Donald Trump for their summit in Alaska.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping routinely uses a converted Boeing 737-800 for his travels.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.