Trump's 'Doomsday Plane' seen flying from LAX: Here's why
Boeing E-4B Nightwatch, also known as the 'Doomsday plane,’ serves as a flying command post for top U.S. officials during times of crisis
January 10, 2026
A U.S. Air Force E-4B 'Doomsday' aircraft was spotted flying over the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for the first time after Nicolas Maduro's capture, igniting a flurry of social media speculation and conspiracy theories about impending crisis.
According to the New York Post, the “Doomsday Plane” carrying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth landed at LAX on Thursday night, January 9, 2025.
Hegseth is currently travelling on his “Arsenal of Freedom” tour, which aims to highlight the U.S. defense industrial might and boost military recruiting, the Department of Defense stated to the outlet.
Also aboard the plane was right-wing internet personality Laura Loomer.
The latter took to X and posted, she said, “Hegseth called enlistees at the Los Angeles Military Entrance Processing Station “real elites and one percenters” for committing their lives to “God and Country.”
The Boeing E-4B Nightwatch, also known as the 'Doomsday plane,’ serves as a flying command post for top U.S. officials during times of crisis and is designed to survive a nuclear attack while coordinating military action, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The publication has reported that such trips to Washington, DC, can signal routine operations, training exercises, or heightened readiness for an impending national crisis.
However, officials have not released the flight’s intended purpose, as reported by the publication.
For the unversed, the Boeing E-4B Nightwatch, also known as the 'Doomsday plane,' serves as a flying command post for top officials during times of crisis and is built to survive a nuclear attack while coordinating military action.
On Tuesday evening, January 6, flight tracking site Flightradar24 monitored the E-4B as it departed Omaha, Nebraska, headed east, and arrived at Camp Springs, located just outside the capital.
The flight was first flagged by the YouTube channel Airline Videos, which streams live aircraft videos, and was later tracked by local and national monitoring groups.
The ‘Doomsday plane’ movement comes in the backdrop of Venezuelan President Maduro’s capture by U.S. military in an operation codenamed ‘Operation Absolute Resolve,’ on Saturday, January 3, 2026.
