The military intervention of Russia in Ukraine is raising worldwide concerns about the possibility of a nuclear war triggered by Russia. In the middle of this crisis, USA has parked a Boeing 747 E-4B in a small town in the U.K. which has been retrofitted to survive a nuclear attack.
The Boeing E-4B offers direct support to the US President, Secretary of Defence, and Joint Chiefs of Staff as the National Airborne Operations Centre (NAOC) for the National Command Authorities. At least one unit is always on high alert 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The plane can also be used to direct military forces when there is a national emergency or ground command and control centres have been destroyed. Using the plane, war orders can be executed and missions coordinated by officials. In June 1973, the Boeing E-4 took to the skies for the first time and entered service in 1974. To date, four Boeing E-4 aircraft have been constructed.
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This modified Boeing 474-200 aircraft is capable of refuelling in flight and the main deck is divided into six functional areas: a command work area, conference room, briefing room, an operations team work area, communications area and rest area.
On Wednesday, March 23rd, the Boeing 747 E-4B took off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 07:09 EDT and landed at RAF Mildenhall at 06:09 GMT. The National Airborne Operations Centre took seven hours to reach the base in Suffolk, England.
In response to Russia's war in Ukraine, the aircraft was sent to the UK to support President Joe Biden on a four-day trip to Europe. In recent history, Biden's transatlantic trip has been one of the most significant presidential trips. Brussels and Poland are among the stops on the US' tour that will bolster options against the invasion in Ukraine.
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