What is the Boeing E-4B, the “plane of the apocalypse” that has sparked fears of a nuclear attack in the United States?

Some Americans feared the worst on January 8, even asking Grok, Elon Musk’s AI, if a nuclear attack would soon take place. For what ? The fault is the extremely rare deployment at Los Angeles International Airport (United States) of the Boeing E-4B, the US Air Force plane responsible for transporting American leaders during emergency situations such as atomic strikes.

It was, in fact, nothing. “The Doomsday Plane,” as it is nicknamed, was only used to transport Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from Washington to California to attend a military ceremony.

13 billion dollars for 4 planes

The aircraft, a Boeing 747-200 derivative in military version, is destined to reappear soon since Pete Hegseth will use it between January and February as part of a month-long trip. Still, the plane, in the middle of civilian traffic, explodes.

Without a window, this aircraft is also equipped with older analog instruments, rather than state-of-the-art digital technology, to prevent enemy jamming. If these capabilities and performances are classified as defense secret, the Boeing E-4B would also have “shielding to protect its crew from nuclear and thermal effects in the event of atomic war” as told by the American Amanda Macias, the only journalist to date to have boarded.

With 18 berths and six bathrooms, the plane can carry up to 112 people maximum, while remaining in flight for several days thanks to giant fuel tanks and the ability to be refueled in flight. And he’s not the only one. The United States would have four similar models, nicknamed the “Doomsday planes” or “Reserve Pentagon”.

Designed during the Cold War, these Boeing 747-200s will soon be replaced. In the summer of 2036, they will be replaced by Boeing E-4Cs, from the adapted Boeing 747-8s. However, it was not Boeing which obtained the contract, in April 2024, but the company specializing in electronics Sierra Nevada Corp. SNC is responsible for delivering 4 aircraft within 10 years worth approximately $13 billion.