Mysterious sighting near Los Angeles Trump administration deploys "doomsday" plane
The US Air Force's infamous "Doomsday Plane" was spotted over Los Angeles. It has been confirmed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was on board the E-4B Nightwatch. Why this particular aircraft was used remains unclear.
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- The E-4B Nightwatch, the flying command center of the USA, was spotted over Los Angeles and caused speculation.
- US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was on board, but the Pentagon has not yet given a reason for the choice of this aircraft.
- The Nightwatch serves as a command center for extreme cases and has only been used once in an emergency - after 9/11.
The E-4B Nightwatch - better known as the "Doomsday Plane" - was spotted over Los Angeles on Thursday. The appearance of the flying command center caused speculation on social networks. It has now been confirmed: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was on board. However, it is unclear why he used this particular aircraft.
Videos and live streams showed the plane approaching Los Angeles Airport (LAX). Within a short time, the footage went viral on X, accompanied by questions such as: "Why now?" or "What is the reason for this flight?"
Several US media outlets and flight tracking data later confirmed that Defense Secretary Hegseth was on the flight. The plane took off from Joint Base Andrews near Washington and landed in Los Angeles. Hegseth was reportedly attending defense-related meetings in California.
Aircraft based on Boeing 747
However, it remains unclear why the E-4B was used for this purpose. The US Department of Defense has not yet commented on why the minister did not travel on a regular government aircraft.
The E-4B Nightwatch is one of the most secretive and at the same time most central aircraft in the US armed forces. Officially, it serves as the National Airborne Operations Center - a flying command center for emergencies.
The aircraft is based on a Boeing 747, is protected against electromagnetic pulses and has built-in communication and situation centers. According to the US Air Force, the aircraft can remain in the air for several days by refueling in the air. At least one of the four E-4Bs is on standby at all times.
Only one mission in an emergency so far
Their purpose: to keep the US political and military leadership capable of acting even if the ground infrastructure is destroyed or can no longer be reached. Up to 110 people can be on board at the same time - including the President, Secretary of Defense, General Staff and communications teams.
So far, the E-4B has only been used once in an emergency. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, a "doomsday" aircraft was activated and took off as a flying command center to ensure the US government's ability to act.
Whether the deployment of the E-4B in Los Angeles was pure logistics, a security precaution or a political signal is currently unclear. According to aircraft spotters, the "Doomsday" aircraft has not been seen in public for years and has only been demonstrated at special military events for show purposes.
