4 min to read
Spotting This Doomsday Plane Means You Have Five Minutes Left
Image: Wikimedia
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you ever catch this plane whizzing overhead it may be an indicator of impending doom. The ominous doomsday plane.
The idea of a doomsday plane sounds like something ripped straight from a low-budget apocalypse thriller. But most pieces of fiction usually have a kernel of truth behind them. Given how rocky global politics are at the moment, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that world leaders have a contingency plan available for the worst-case scenario.
The ‘doomsday plane’ holds a grim meaning if it is spotted, as it is designed with the event of a nuclear war or global catastrophe in mind. Hence why you only have about five minutes in the worst case scenario.
The Boeing E-4, also known as the National Airborne Operations Centre (NAOC), is an ominous creation. Put simply, the plane is a modified aircraft designed to operate as a mobile war room for the President of the United States. Consider the E-4’s capabilities, as it can fly for around 12 hours at 600mph. It can also refuel without landing, meaning it can survive in the sky for an entire week.
Originally created back in the 1970s, during the Cold War era, the Boeing E-4 offered a president a place to survive a nuclear attack, while also launching retaliatory missiles. These measures were put in place during a time when the threat of nuclear war loomed large.
The United States isn’t the only nation to have prepared for the worst case scenario either. Euro News also reporting the existence of a ‘Flying Kremlin’. The craft is designed to give the Russian President (aka Vladimir Putin) the same apocalyptic capabilities.
These aircraft aren’t cheap to run either. The military shells out $159,529 (£126,000) per hour to operate, which makes it the Air Force’s most expensive plane.
The Boeing E-4 planes also come with a number of defense mechanisms. The means by which it does is ability to withstand electromagnetic pulses and analog flight controls, which mean the aircraft wouldn’t be susceptible to cyber attacks.
According to MailOnline, the US has four of these doomsday planes. With one on high alert at all times, they are based at the US Strategic Command, south of Omaha, Nebraska.
CNET also adds that the aircraft are capable of carrying a crew of up to 112 people. It is also jam packed with high-level communication technology, which assists in worst-case scenarios.
As scary as the doomsday plane sounds, you shouldn’t immediately panic at the sight of one. On that note, they’re also sometimes used to transport officials overseas for events and meetings.
If it really is a harbinger of end times, some believe that perhaps it’s better to be on Earth rather than circling a destroyed planet for several days before the inevitable happens. Maybe looking on the bright side is the way to go.
