The U.S. Air Force took to the skies for a brief training mission after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he would be putting his country's nuclear weapons into service.
The plane took off from the U.S. Air Force base in Nebraska and flew for 4.5 hours to Chicago. The plane was accompanied by several jets that were used to track missiles.
The E-4B is one of the Nightwatch aircraft that the U.S. military has maintained since the 1970s. Live Science reported that the plane is intended to be a mobile command headquarters for top military personnel in the event of a nuclear war, and it has a few safety features you won't likely see on a commercial plane. The $200 million plane is equipped with antiquated equipment, rather than modern digital equipment, to allow the plane to continue operating even when exposed to the electromagnetic pulse from a nuclear blast.
The plane has special shielding to protect passengers and crew from the effects of a nuclear war. The E-4B can communicate with ships, submarines, aircraft and landlines anywhere in the world, thanks to a special bump on the plane that houses more than 65 satellite dishes and antennas. The other features of the plane are classified.
The fleet conducts regular training and readiness missions and at least one E-4B is ready at all times.
It is not clear if Monday's mission was a response to Putin's order that Russia's nuclear missile force be placed on combat duty. NATO leaders and Western economic sanctions against Russia were cited by Putin as the reason for his military order.
On Monday, the U.S. government said that there would be no change in America's nuclear posture, and President Joe Biden stressed at a news conference that Americans had no reason to fear a nuclear war with Russia.
It was originally published on Live Science.
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