A U.S. Air Force E-4B “Nightwatch” aircraft, also known as the “Doomsday Plane,” landed at Joint Base Andrews late Tuesday after an unusual flight from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, sparking speculation about its purpose.
The E-4B serves as the National Airborne Operations Center and is designed to function as a mobile command post for the president and top military leaders in the event of nuclear war or national crisis.
🚨🇺🇸USAF Boeing 747-E4B
— Todd Paron🇺🇸🇬🇷🎧👽 (@tparon) June 18, 2025
Presidential doomsday plane (ORDER01) was scrambled from Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, Louisiana and is circling over Virginia, possibly due to something large happening tonight with Israel 🇮🇱and 🇮🇷Iran. pic.twitter.com/4R5C78hBB0
Its systems can withstand electromagnetic pulses and nuclear blasts and have rarely been activated outside of high-level emergencies, most notably on September 11, 2001.
The flight’s erratic path over Virginia and timing, amid escalating Israeli military action against Iran, has raised concerns among defense watchers.
🚨 BREAKING: The "Nightwatch" (aka "Doomsday Plane"), the President’s emergency command aircraft, just landed at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington D.C. following a highly unusual flight path from Shreveport, Louisiana.
— Inside_Israel_Intel (@inside_IL_intel) June 18, 2025
Historically, this aircraft is activated during severe… pic.twitter.com/RZUxX3iBuA
While the Air Force conducts periodic readiness drills, officials have not confirmed whether this was a training exercise or something more serious. President Donald Trump’s presence on board has not been confirmed.
