He writes that one of the US Air Force aircraft capable of surviving a nuclear strike took part in a short exercise live sciences. An unofficial Boeing E-4B took off from a base in Nebraska on February 28, shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin The Russian nuclear deterrent has been put on high alert.
A modified Boeing 747 took part in a 4.5-hour flight to Chicago and then back again. The aircraft was reportedly accompanied by a number of aerial reconnaissance aircraft that are used to track ballistic missiles.
The E-4B is part of a fleet called the Nightwatch, which has been operated by the military since the 1970s.
The machine has special safety features not available on Boeing 747 commercial aircraft. For example, the $200 million E-4B includes analog instruments that can withstand the intense electromagnetic pulses of digital devices.
The passengers and crew of the windowless aircraft are almost completely protected by a unique blanket from the heat of a nuclear explosion. More than 65 antennas were placed in the dome on top of the aircraft to allow the aircraft to communicate uninterruptedly. Many of the E-4B’s features are encrypted.
At least one E-4B is ready to use at a time. The fleet is engaged in regular training and readiness missions, and it is not known if last week’s exercise was planned or started due to Putin’s announcement.
