Top-secret US ‘Doomsday Plane' vanishes over Atlantic, tracking systems clueless

Another aviation disappearance or a strategic move to maintain secrecy of the mission? A United States (U.S.) Navy plane has vanished over the Atlantic while flying on a mysterious mission, leaving flight tracking systems searching for its traces.

One of the 16 specialised aircraft known as “Boeing E-6B Mercury” also known as “Doomsday plane” is capable of carrying nuclear strikes if needed. It also serves as a command and control hub for the Secretary of War, the President and US Strategic Command.

The flight tracking data shows the plane took off from the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland and it was crossing the Atlantic east of Virginia Beach at 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday, November 28, 2025.

The plane suddenly went dark about 60 miles east of the Virginia Capes. However, the Daily Mail reports that it is a common practice during sensitive missions.

The plane turns off the trailing antenna as it has to send messages to submarines and ground stations in highly classified warning zones. This way it keeps U.S. strategic forces connected to the national command authorities.

The fleet built between 1989 and 1992, is the official Airborne Command Post which will provide communication with nuclear forces in case the ground communication networks are destroyed.