The United States Air Force (USAF) has a wide variety of aircraft, but among the most important are its Boeing E-4B Nightwatch.<\/p>\n
Outwardly, these planes, which entered service in 1974, can be confused with the famous \"Air Force One\" <\/strong>in which the presidents of the United States travel around the world, since they are basically the same model of plane: the Boeing 747. But apart from the differences in its decoration, the E-4B Nightwatch is a sophisticated command and communications post for the US President and Secretary of Defense in the most difficult situations<\/strong>, including a nuclear war. For this reason, the E-4Bs are officially designated as the National Emergency Airborne Command Post (NEACP). In addition, E-4Bs are routinely used as transport aircraft for the Secretary of Defense when traveling abroad.<\/p>\n In total, the USAF has 4 E-4Bs<\/strong> (one original E-4B and three E-4A that were later upgraded to the B version). All four are operated by the 1st Airborne Command Control Squadron (1ACCS)<\/strong> of the 595th Command and Control Group, based at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. These planes are prepared to resist an electromagnetic pulse<\/strong> and have shields against nuclear and thermal effects. Airborne personnel belong to four different branches of service: the Air Force, the Army, the Navy and the Marines. Due to its special mission, this model is known by the nickname \"Doomsday Plane\".<\/strong> These aircraft are alert and ready to take off 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.<\/p>\n
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