US ‘Doomsday Planes’ Take to the Skies Hours After CIA Chief’s Secret Moscow Trip

A fleet of America’s so-called “doomsday planes” was spotted flying across the United States Tuesday, just hours after CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a rare and previously unannounced trip to Moscow.

At least four Boeing E-6B Mercury aircraft were tracked over the western and central U.S., while a fifth plane was tentatively identified as another E-6B, according to public flight-tracking data.

The unusual activity quickly caught the attention of military aviation watchers online.

The sightings came as Ratcliffe traveled to Russia aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster III military transport plane.

Flight data showed the C-17 arriving at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport before leaving several hours later.

Ratcliffe’s trip had not been announced in advance and came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow.

The Kremlin later confirmed that the CIA director met with Russian intelligence officials during the visit. He did not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Around 1:30 p.m. Eastern time, aviation trackers began noticing several E-6B aircraft operating across different parts of the country.

One plane, identified by the tracking code AEA92D, was spotted over Colorado and Wyoming at an altitude of roughly 24,000 feet and traveling around 374 mph.

Another aircraft, AE7D28, was tracked over Kansas and Oklahoma at approximately 30,000 feet, reaching speeds of about 471 mph.

A third E-6B, identified as AEABAB, appeared over Missouri and Arkansas at around 35,000 feet and roughly 541 mph.

A fourth aircraft, AF4019, was tracked near the Texas-Oklahoma border at about 9,500 feet and 307 mph.

A fifth aircraft, AF1BB0, was also flagged by some trackers as a possible E-6B, although its identity was not consistently confirmed.

The Pentagon had not immediately commented on whether the flights were part of a routine military operation or connected in any way to Ratcliffe’s Moscow visit.

The E-6B Mercury is one of the most important aircraft in America’s nuclear command-and-control system.

Known by the mission nickname “Take Charge And Move Out,” or TACAMO, the aircraft serves as a communications link between U.S. national command authorities and the Navy’s nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines.

That role is why the planes are frequently described as “doomsday planes.”

They are designed to help maintain military communications during a national emergency, including a potential nuclear conflict, although E-6Bs regularly conduct training and readiness missions during peacetime.

Tuesday’s activity follows several other high-profile sightings of U.S. command aircraft this year.

In March, an E-6B was seen repeatedly circling California’s Central Valley near Fresno. The aircraft reportedly spent nearly two hours performing practice landing approaches at Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

In January, an Air Force E-4B Nightwatch — another aircraft commonly called a “doomsday plane” — landed at Los Angeles International Airport while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was visiting the region.

Another E-4B was spotted circling near Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska in April.

There is currently no confirmed evidence that Tuesday’s E-6B flights were directly connected to Ratcliffe’s talks in Moscow.

Still, the timing of several nuclear-command aircraft appearing on public flight trackers within hours of the CIA chief’s secretive trip to Russia was enough to spark intense speculation online.