President Donald Trump's emergency command aircraft streaked across the country to Washington DC as global tensions escalate.
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.
Flight tracking sites recorded the E-4B departing Omaha, Nebraska, blazing eastward before landing at Camp Springs, just outside the capital, Tuesday evening.
Trips to Washington DC can signal routine operations, training exercises, or heightened readiness for national emergencies. Officials have not confirmed the reason for the flight.
The movement comes just days after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during a covert operation on Saturday.
In the aftermath of the mission, Trump issued stern warnings to other Latin American nations, including Mexico over cartel influence and fentanyl trafficking, Colombia over drug production and Cuba, invoking an expanded US role in the Western Hemisphere.
Trump has also renewed long-standing calls for US control of Greenland, citing national security concerns in the Arctic, with the White House saying it is exploring 'a range of options.'
However, Denmark, Greenland, and European allies have firmly rejected any takeover, and no military preparations have been reported.
While its primary base is Offutt, the specialized aircraft are periodically deployed to other locations, including Kelly Field in Texas for maintenance and Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado.
Flightradar24 tracked the aircraft leaving Omaha at 4:50pm ET on Tuesday before flying for nearly three hours en route to Camp Springs.
The E-4B can be repositioned to different bases to maintain operational readiness and support a wide range of missions.
Its history includes transporting FEMA crews and serving as an airborne command center during Hurricane Opal in 1995.
Another aircraft was reportedly used as a secure refuge for President George W Bush in the hours following the September 11 attacks.
Despite its ominous nickname, the plane is not exclusively reserved for doomsday scenarios, as senior officials, including the Secretary of War, have at times used it for overseas travel.
While the purpose of Tuesday's mission remains unclear, the timing coincides with Trump issuing a flurry of threats directed at multiple nations.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are currently being held in a New York City jail after pleading not guilty to narco-terrorism charges during a court hearing on Monday.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration escalated tensions with NATO ally Denmark by threatening to use the US military to seize Greenland.
According to a senior administration official, Trump and his advisers are weighing several options, including purchasing the Danish territory or assuming responsibility for its defense.
The White House warned that 'utilizing the US military is always an option' and insisted the issue is 'not going away,' despite objections from NATO leaders.
Trump has argued the US must control the island, which is more than three times the size of Texas, to safeguard NATO security against growing threats from China and Russia in the Arctic.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the US seized a tanker linked to Russia off the coast of Europe and a second vessel in the Caribbean, intensifying enforcement of the Venezuela oil blockade.
Iran has also emerged as a flashpoint this week, as the country has been rocked by its largest and most violent anti-regime demonstrations in three years, sparked by an acute economic crisis and a collapsing currency that has driven soaring inflation.
Trump has threatened to hit Iran 'very hard' if authorities continue their harsh crackdown on protests now entering a second week.
At least 20 people, including a member of Iran's security forces, have been killed as unrest spreads from the capital, Tehran, and the country's economy grinds toward a halt.
