Dozens of US 'doomsday' aircraft buzz West Coast as CIA chief lands in Moscow

On Tuesday, flight-tracking data showed a fleet of Boeing E-6B Mercury “doomsday” planes flying across the western and central United States, with four confirmed aircraft and a fifth tentatively identified. The aircraft were observed at various altitudes and speeds, traversing Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and the Texas-Oklahoma border starting at about 1:30 p.m. EST. The sightings coincided with CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s surprise visit to Moscow, where he traveled on a US Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III that touched down at Vnukovo International Airport and left several hours later.

The Kremlin later acknowledged that Ratchell met Russian intelligence officials, though he did not see President Vladimir Putin. The E-6B Mercury serves as a vital communications link between US command authorities and the Navy’s ballistic-missile submarines. Earlier this year, similar sightings of E-6B and E-4B “doomsday” aircraft occurred near California, Los Angeles and Nebraska. The Pentagon has not yet commented on the recent flights.