As hostilities between Israel and Iran intensify, the United States has deployed its Boeing E-4B ‘Doomsday Plane’—a high-security airborne command centre designed for nuclear warfare scenarios. The aircraft was seen flying from Bossier City, Louisiana to Joint Base Andrews near Washington, DC on Tuesday night, raising global concerns over potential escalation into a wider conflict.
Known officially as the E-4B Nightwatch, the aircraft is engineered to survive nuclear blasts, electromagnetic pulses, and cyberattacks. It serves as an airborne war room for the US President, Secretary of Defense, and Joint Chiefs of Staff during emergencies. It can carry up to 112 personnel, has a range of over 7,000 miles, and can remain airborne for nearly a week with mid-air refuelling.
The plane took off at 5:56 pm ET, flew along the US East Coast, circled near the Virginia–North Carolina border, and landed at 10:01 pm. Its use of the rare callsign “ORDER01” has added to the intrigue, differing from its standard identifiers, prompting speculation that it was deployed as part of heightened readiness operations.
The timing of the E-4B’s flight coincides with increasingly bellicose rhetoric from both sides of the Israel-Iran conflict. Iranian missiles struck multiple locations in Israel on Thursday, including the Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, causing extensive damage and wounding at least 40 people. Other projectiles hit high-rise and residential buildings near Tel Aviv, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service.
In response, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz made a fiery statement, saying Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “cannot continue to exist,” holding him directly responsible for orchestrating attacks aimed at destroying Israel.
Meanwhile, former US President Donald Trump has floated the idea of US involvement in Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran’s leadership has warned of severe retaliation should such intervention occur.
While US officials have not confirmed the E-4B deployment was directly tied to the Israel-Iran war, its sudden flight adds to the tension and underscores the seriousness of the ongoing regional crisis. The aircraft’s presence signifies readiness for worst-case scenarios and reaffirms the strategic importance of rapid-response capabilities in volatile global theatres.
