U.S. Navy to Double Its Nuclear Command Aircraft Fleet with New Phoenix II Planes
The Navy announced a purchase of 31 next-generation E-130J “Phoenix II” aircraft, roughly twice the size of the aging E-6B fleet.
The U.S. Navy has confirmed a procurement program for 31 E-130J Phoenix II aircraft, effectively doubling the size of its current nuclear command-and-control fleet. The legacy E-6B Mercury, a modified Boeing 707, is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain as spare parts dwindle, prompting the shift to a Lockheed Martin-built C-130J-based platform. Design work on the Phoenix II, which will inherit the Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) role of transmitting very-low-frequency signals to submerged ballistic-missile submarines, cleared a preliminary review last month.
Six development aircraft and 25 production units are planned, with a critical design review scheduled for September 2027 and a production decision by August 2029. The new planes will also serve as airborne communication hubs linking the president, the secretary of defense, and U.S. Strategic Command during a nuclear crisis. While the Air Force will assume the former “Looking Glass” mission, the Navy’s new fleet aims to ensure a resilient, survivable command link for strategic forces.
Why it matters
Doubling the Navy's nuclear-command aircraft strengthens the United States' ability to maintain communications with its strategic forces during crises.
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