Trump deploys ‘Doomsday’ nuclear command planes to West Asia amid WW3 fears

In a shocking development the President Donald Trump deployed the US military 'Doomsday planes' as war in West Asia entered its 10th day after the United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes on multiple high-value targets in Iran on February 28, including decapitation strikes on top leaders of the Islamic Republic, resulting in the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the attacks.

Flight-tracking data has captured multiple launches of the Navy's E-6B Mercury strategic airborne command aircraft since the war in Iran began, the Daily Mail reported.

Two E-6B Mercury flights were spotted over the US on March 2, one travelling from the Gulf Coast and landing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, and the other taking off and later landing back at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, according to the Daily Mail.

Since those flights, there have been reports from military news outlets of more E-6B launches heading across the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf.

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These developments sparked fear of a nuclear war as situations in West Asia continue to escalate after Iran nominated the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.

What are Doomsday Planes

The E-6B Mercury is known as "Doomsday planes" because their mission is to ensure that the US can launch nuclear counterstrikes even if all ground-based headquarters are destroyed. Built to survive an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP), it serves as the ultimate fail-safe for the President and military leaders.

Its primary role, TACAMO ("Take Charge And Move Out"), allows it to communicate with nuclear submarines by unspooling a five-mile-long antenna.

Additionally, it can remotely fire land-based ICBMs directly from the air. Because it carries the specific "launch codes" and command authority required to initiate global nuclear war, it is considered a flying insurance policy that a devastating retaliation remains possible during the apocalypse.

The fears of nuclear escalation and the war in West Asia triggering a third world war become significant as Iran continues to strike US military bases, embassies and other key targets across Gulf nations.

While both China and Russia, which are considered close to Iran, warned that the situation could spiral out of control, leading to a large war. Several reports also suggested that Moscow had begun supporting Iran by providing intelligence on the position of US forces deployed in the region.

(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)