A ‘Doomsday Plane Soared’ 30,000 Feet Over St. Louis, MO Monday

There are almost always a lot of planes over St. Louis, Missouri. That's not news. But, there was a special one that soared 30,000 feet over the Gateway City Monday night. It's one of the US Air Force 'Doomsday Planes that flew directly over St. Louis.

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I was made aware of this special Missouri visitor Monday night by YouTube channel NY Prepper. He showed a map which had a plane (code named SHADO04) directly over St. Louis, Missouri. Flight Radar 24 confirmed what he reported.

If you zoom out, you can see that this Boeing E-6B Mercury had quite a strange flight path that began in Oklahoma, zoomed over many southern states including a peculiar route over southeastern Georgia, then up to West Virginia before crossing back across the country including Illinois before it went straight over St. Louis, Missouri.

The US Navy tells the tale of the 'doomsday plane' saying it's "a communications relay and strategic airborne command post aircraft. It provides survivable, reliable, and endurable airborne Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) for the president, secretary of defense and U.S. Strategic Command".

The Navy says there are two "operational squadrons" of these interesting worst-case scenario planes and it's not unusual for one or many of them to be in the air at all times. It would actually be odd if they weren't as they are the last line of defense if command and control facilities on the ground are disabled or destroyed.

It is interesting that one of these vital planes chose to fly directly over a metro like St. Louis on a wintry Missouri night.