E-4B Nightwatch
ICAO B742The aircraft that would run a nuclear war. Four exist, and one is always ready. Live E-4B Nightwatch positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30s
No E-4B Nightwatch is transmitting ADS-B at the moment.
Military aircraft are not obliged to broadcast, so this happens regularly. The count refreshes every thirty seconds.
Airframe
- Manufacturer
- Boeing
- Role
- Airborne command post
- Class
- L4J — Landplane, 4 jet engines
- Crew
- Up to 112
- First flight
- 13 June 1973
- In service
- 1974
Operators airborne
Nothing of this type is up right now.
About the E-4B Nightwatch
The E-4B is a converted Boeing 747-200 built to keep the American national command authority functioning if ground facilities are destroyed. It is hardened against the electromagnetic effects of a nuclear detonation, can be refuelled in flight, and carries a communications suite capable of reaching submarines and bombers anywhere.
There are four. One is kept on continuous alert, and one usually accompanies the Secretary of Defense on overseas travel, which is the reason most sightings happen — a Nightwatch appearing over the Atlantic generally means someone senior is moving.
That rarity makes it one of the most watched aircraft in the hobby. It reports as B742 because the designator describes a 747-200, so a civil freighter of the same vintage can share this page.
Callsign prefixes
- ORDER
- A recurring E-4B block
- GORDO
- Another frequently seen Nightwatch callsign
- RCH
- Reach — when routed as an Air Mobility Command movement
How to recognise it
- —A 747 with a large hump-backed fairing on top of the upper deck housing satellite communications.
- —A refuelling receptacle behind the cockpit — no civil 747 has one.
- —Painted white over grey with a blue cheatline, without airline markings.
Common questions
+ How many E-4Bs are there?
Four. One is maintained on alert at all times, which means the fleet is heavily used despite its size. A replacement programme, the Survivable Airborne Operations Center, is under way using second-hand 747-8 airframes.
+ Is the E-4B the same as Air Force One?
No. Air Force One is the VC-25, a 747 configured to carry the President. The E-4B is a command post for the Secretary of Defense and the national command authority, and is sometimes called the Doomsday Plane.
+ Why is the E-4B tracked so closely?
Because its movements correlate with events. There are only four, one usually carries the Secretary of Defense abroad, and an unexpected departure is visible to anyone watching a feed like this one.