The US Navy’s existing E-6B Mercury aircraft are based on the Boeing 707, which has been out of production for decades, and growing steadily harder to maintain as a result.

The United States Navy has confirmed plans to acquire 31 next-generation nuclear command-and-control aircraft, replacing the fleet of legacy aircraft of just half the size. The E-130J Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) program passed a preliminary design review last month, Aviation Week reported.

The acquisition comes only a year after the US Navy’s Airborne Strategic Command, Control and Communications Program Office (PMA-271) and the Strategic Communications Wing 1 (SCW-1) confirmed the aircraft’s formal new designation as the “Phoenix II.”

That designation was meant to evoke “the mythical bird whose ability is to be reborn and represents a symbol of immortality, resurrection, and renewal,” PMA-271 explained. It is also a “nod” to the EC-130Q Hercules TACAMO, which fulfilled the same mission from 1963 to 1993.

More importantly, the new E-130J Phoenix II will take over the mission from the US Navy’s aging E-6B Mercury fleet, dating back to the late 1980s. The program of record calls for the US Navy to receive six developmental aircraft and 25 production E-130Js, nearly double the fleet size of the 16 E-6B Mercury aircraft.

America’s Doomsday Planes Are a Flying Network

As part of the critical TACAMO strategic communications mission, each E-6B is essentially a survivable airborne radio station and communication relay hub that can provide a Nuclear Command, Control and Communications (NC3) link to the US president, the Secretary of Defense, and the United States Strategic Command. The mission is to ensure reliable communications to naval ballistic missile submarines and strategic nuclear forces during a major crisis, including a nuclear war.

Via its specialized equipment, each aircraft can broadcast Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio waves deep into the ocean to reach submerged nuclear-armed submarines, and also act as a mobile command center that can relay communications to land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles if ground infrastructure is destroyed.

Because of the seriousness of the mission, the US Navy maintains a continuous airborne presence location to ensure a redundant, unbreakable nuclear command link.

Because of the seriousness of the mission, the aircraft have earned the nickname the “Doomsday Planes.” NAVAIR has even described TACAMO as being a “no-fail” mission aircraft—meaning if something were to go wrong with its operation, it could amount to the end of the United States.

The Navy Is Moving to Another Legacy Aircraft

The US Navy opted to transition from the E-6B Mercury, a militarized version of the Boeing 707 jetliner, to the E-130J Phoenix II, which is a heavily modified C-130J Super Hercules turboprop. The decision was made due to the specialized, heavy nature of the VLF communication gear, the extreme endurance requirements, and also the long delays and costs associated with developing and then fielding a replacement from scratch.

The Boeing 707 is long out of production, and stocks of spare parts are running low. This has led to exorbitant maintenance costs—as well as competition from the E-3 Sentry, another 707-based aircraft with extraordinary importance to US national security. Conversely, the C-130 continues to be manufactured by Lockheed Martin, and thus has a much larger support network that will ensure the aircraft can remain flying for decades to come.

The TACAMO mission was previously undertaken by the EC-130 Hercules, the forerunner to the current variant. However, this shouldn’t be seen as a step backward. When it comes to nuclear readiness, slow and steady is the name of the game.

Each TACAMO aircraft must remain airborne for massive blocks of time, and do so while slowly trailing miles of wire antenna to deliver the VLF signals to the submerged SSBNs. Fitting the massive generators, the heavy spooling machinery for the trailing antennas, and carrying the specialized command-and-control architectures demands a large airframe.

The Super Hercules fits the bill accordingly—at least mostly. It can operate from a far wider range of bases and airfields than the existing E-6B, including relatively austere environments. Still, there will be some issues with the transition; one problem is that the C-130J-30 has weight restrictions, meaning that some of the critical equipment will need to be modified.

The E-6B Mercury filled a dual mission that included providing the aforementioned direct communication with strategic nuclear forces if ground-based command centers were destroyed. That required equipment and battle staff positions for the Looking Glass mission, which will now be offloaded to the United States Air Force, with the Phoenix II committed to relying on communications to the SSBNs.

The US Air Force is now initiating the Looking Glass-Next program.

As for the US Navy, a critical design review of the E-130J is on track for just over a year from now, in September 2027. The Milestone C production decision could then come in August 2029, and once met, could see the initial operational test and evaluation by 2033.

The Navy’s Aircraft Program Is Going Great. Why Not Shipbuilding?

Even as the United States Navy continues to struggle to rebuild the fleet that it needs to fight a major conflict against a near-peer adversary such as China, the sea service is now equally focused on a much-needed aircraft. In addition to the E-130J TACAMO program, the US Navy is still committed to the F/A-XX. This planned sixth-generation carrier-based fighter will eventually replace the F/A-18 Super Hornet—and be aided by the MQ-25A Stingray, the Boeing-built carrier-based uncrewed aerial refueler that is now moving to active fleet integration and low-rate initial production (LRIP).

The apparent success with the TACAMO and Stingray programs is noteworthy, as the US Navy faces a capability gap with its nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines (SSGNs) as the aging modified Ohio-class boats are retired and the Block V Virginia-class submarines are still years away. Likewise, the US Navy has failed with several actual naval programs in recent decades, including its Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers, the Littoral Combat Ships, and the canceled Constellation-class frigates.

The US Navy also appears to be steaming ahead with the Trump-class battleships, despite similar concerns over their feasibility and enormous cost.

It is ironic that the US Navy seems so on track with its aircraft programs—at least for the most part—while it continues to get warships so wrong!

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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