The aircraft, call sign GRIM99, is described as the Flying Pentagon and could be used as a centre of operations during a nuclear war.
The E-4 series was specially modified from the Boeing 747-200B for the National Emergency Airborne Command Post (NEACP) program. The E-4 serves as a survivable mobile command post for the National Command Authority, namely the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, and successors.
The aircraft popularly called the “Doomsday” plane always follows Air Force One. This plane (there are reportedly four of them in existence), the E-B4 Advanced Airborne Command Post, is an airborne nuclear bunker and command center that was designed at the height of the Cold War to resist a nuclear attack.
Hump. This hump, on top of the plane's fuselage, gives those on board the ability to communicate via super high frequency and Milstar systems.
Since the 1970s, the US government has maintained a fleet of Boeing 747 E-4B planes designed to provide an airborne command post for the US secretary of defence and high-ranking military personnel in the event of a nuclear war.
The main presidential aircraft is the four-engined, long-range, widebody Ilyushin Il-96-300PU, a highly modified Il-96, with the two last letters standing for "Command Point" in Russian.
The Bulletin has reset the minute hand on the Doomsday Clock 25 times since its debut in 1947, most recently in 2023 when we moved it from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds to midnight.
Get the lowdown on the United States' famous "Doomsday Plane". Did you know that the United States has four "Doomsday Planes"?
The four-engine modified 747-200 is designed for missions that last up to 72 hours, which costs the U.S. taxpayer $147,000 an hour. It's the highest flight hour cost of any military plane aside from Air Force One, Golden said.
The Doomsday Plane Interior & Capabilities
Many of the capabilities of the presidential Doomsday plane are kept classified, but certain conclusions can be drawn from what we do know about its structure and interior. There are three decks on each E-4B Nightwatch, and each plane can hold up to 112 people.
And while the plane features a private residence, meeting rooms, a medical facility, and Secret Service agents, there are no weapons onboard. With an essential role of transporting US officials, let's look at how the Boeing VC-25 can thwart any attack despite being unarmed.
The Air Force usually does not have fighter aircraft escort the presidential aircraft over the United States but it has occurred. The first instance came during the state funeral of John F. Kennedy when it was followed by 50 fighters (20 Navy and 30 Air Force), representing the states of the union.
The name and the plane
In fact, any military plane with the president aboard is called Air Force One, but it is the gleaming jumbo that has captured Hollywood's fancy. No, there isn't an escape pod or a parachute ramp.
The Clock now stands at 90 seconds to midnight—the closest to global catastrophe it has ever been.
LINCOLN, Neb. — The U.S. military's four “doomsday” planes have been moved to their new temporary home in Lincoln from Offutt Air Force Base south of Omaha as the base undergoes a $144 million runway replacement.
Two years later, in 1947, artist and Bulletin member Martyl Langsdorf created the iconic Doomsday Clock to signal how close humanity was to self-destruction. Today, the Doomsday Clock is located at the Bulletin offices in the Keller Center, home to the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.
Modified versions of two Boeing 747 planes will serve as replacements for the White House's Air Force One. The planes are due for delivery in 2024 as part of a $3.9 billion contract. Boeing's 777X, its latest passenger plane model and projected replacement for the 747, is set for delivery in 2025.
What is the longest flight time in the world? The longest nonstop commercial flight in the world is scheduled at 18 hours and 50 minutes from Singapore (SIN) to New York City (JFK) serviced by Singapore Airlines.
Find out more about the museum here. Undefeated record: The world record for the world's longest continuous flight was set in 1959 by Robert Timm (pictured) and his co-pilot John Cook. Months in the air: The men flew in this four-seater aircraft for 64 days, 22 hours and 19 minutes.
This gives Air Force One the ability to stay up in the air indefinitely, such as if an unsafe situation is unfolding on the ground, but this is typically reserved for emergency situations, CNN reported. It can travel at a top speed of about 600 mph (965 km/h). That's almost the speed of sound.
The B-2 holds the record for longest air combat mission in history. In 2001, the Spirit of America and five other B-2s were the first to enter Afghan airspace for a record setting 44-hour mission.
Are you curious about how many flights operate worldwide each day? According to the latest estimates, there are approximately 100,000 flights per day. This number includes all types of flights, including passenger, cargo, and military aircraft.
Midnight marks the theoretical point of annihilation. Apocalyptic threats could arise from political tensions, weapons, technology, climate change or pandemic illness. The hands of the clock are moved closer to or further away from midnight based on the scientists' reading of existential threats at a particular time.
The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents how close we are to destroying the world with dangerous technologies of our own making. It warns how many metaphorical “minutes to midnight” humanity has left. Set every year by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, it is intended to warn the public and inspire action.
The Doomsday Clock's time is set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Science and Security Board with the support of the Bulletin's Board of Sponsors, which includes 10 Nobel Laureates. Previously, the Doomsday Clock had been set at 100 seconds to midnight since 2020.