The Doomsday Plane
The United States Air Force consists of an enormous fleet that includes all sorts of special use aircraft with broad mission capability. One of the most unique, and fear inspiring aircraft is the E-4B NAOC (National Airborne Operations Center) Nightwatch. These planes, four specially configured Boeing 747-200s, possess a unique and somewhat eerie job. It may not have impressive payload characteristics like the large bombers, or the advanced attack weaponry on nimble fighter jets, but it is durable, technologically advanced, and hopefully never needs to be used in our lifetime. So, why is a simple Boeing 747 fear inspiring to me? Its mission is to provide a fully functional, highly survivable, mobile command and control …show more content…
While it looks like a normal 747 from the outside, it has major reworking done to it. The entire aircraft is protected by EMP (electromagnetic pulse) shielding in case of a nuclear attack, and other nuclear and thermal shielding. It has tremendous worldwide communication capability with an incredible amount of electrical power, enough to power a city of 15,000. On the inside it is divided into multiple work areas, briefing rooms, communication areas, and rest areas, because with mid-air refueling capability the plane can stay in the air indefinitely. It has a signature radome protruding from the top of the upper deck that houses over 65 antennas. At least one E-4B is always on 24-hour alert, every day of the year. It is kept fully running and operational, staffed and ready for an immediate takeoff with absolute minimal checklists necessary to become airborne. The video shows the antiquated interior of the aircraft, which actually is desirable for the mission this plane must perform. In nuclear event the older avionics, and electronic equipment is less susceptible to
The United States Air Force consists of an enormous fleet that includes all sorts of special use aircraft with broad mission capability. One of the most unique, and fear inspiring aircraft is the E-4B NAOC (National Airborne Operations Center) Nightwatch. These planes, four specially configured Boeing 747-200s, possess a unique and somewhat eerie job. It may not have impressive payload characteristics like the large bombers, or the advanced attack weaponry on nimble fighter jets, but it is durable, technologically advanced, and hopefully never needs to be used in our lifetime. So, why is a simple Boeing 747 fear inspiring to me? Its mission is to provide a fully functional, highly survivable, mobile command and control …show more content…
While it looks like a normal 747 from the outside, it has major reworking done to it. The entire aircraft is protected by EMP (electromagnetic pulse) shielding in case of a nuclear attack, and other nuclear and thermal shielding. It has tremendous worldwide communication capability with an incredible amount of electrical power, enough to power a city of 15,000. On the inside it is divided into multiple work areas, briefing rooms, communication areas, and rest areas, because with mid-air refueling capability the plane can stay in the air indefinitely. It has a signature radome protruding from the top of the upper deck that houses over 65 antennas. At least one E-4B is always on 24-hour alert, every day of the year. It is kept fully running and operational, staffed and ready for an immediate takeoff with absolute minimal checklists necessary to become airborne. The video shows the antiquated interior of the aircraft, which actually is desirable for the mission this plane must perform. In nuclear event the older avionics, and electronic equipment is less susceptible to