Boeing E-4
| E-4 | |
|---|---|
| An E-4B in flight | |
| General information | |
| Role | Airborne strategic command and control post |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| Number built | 4 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1974 |
| First flight | 13 June 1973 |
| Developed from | Boeing 747-200 |
| Successors | SNC E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center |
The Boeing E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post (AACP), the current "Nightwatch" aircraft, is a series of strategic command and control military aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). The E-4 series are specially modified from the Boeing 747-200B for the National Emergency Airborne Command Post (NEACP) program.
The E-4 serves as a survivable mobile command post for the National Command Authority, namely the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, and successors. The four E-4s are operated by the 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron of the 595th Command and Control Group located at Offutt Air Force Base, near Omaha, Nebraska. An E-4 when in action is denoted a "National Airborne Operations Center" (NAOC) and has been nicknamed the "Doomsday plane".