The plane has been moved to an airfield outside Washington DC as Moscow responds to the boarding of an oil tanker displaying the Russian flag.

18:58, Wed, Jan 7, 2026 Updated: 18:59, Wed, Jan 7, 2026

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The plane would be used by the president in the event of a major crisis (Image: Getty)

Donald Trump’s emergency command aircraft has been moved to Washington DC as global tensions simmer. The Boeing E-4B Nightwatch can be used as a command post by senior officials in the event of a serious crisis, with the airframe part of the United States’ strategy to maintain order in the event of nuclear war.

Flight tracking websites have captured the aircraft, known as the ‘doomsday plane’ by some, departing Omaha, Nebraska on Tuesday night, headed for Washington DC, where it landed at Camp Springs in the capital’s suburbs. The aircraft regularly moves about the country but its latest movement comes following an audacious swoop on Venezuela which saw US special forces capture the country’s leader and transport him to New York to be indicted on drug charges. It also came hours before the country risked the wrath of Russia by seizing an oil tanker displaying the Russian flag that had evaded the US’ naval blockade.

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A vessel in black and white

The plane was moved hours before the US seized a Russian-linked oil tanker (Image: @US_EUCOM/X/PA Wire)

The seizing of the Marinera vessel, previously flagged in Guyana, caused outrage in Moscow, he said that “no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states” under the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea.

Ahead of the Marinera’s seizure, Kremlin adviser and former Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Fedorov warned such a move would “be considered as (an) attack on Russia, and it could lead to very critical or maybe even crisis situation in relations between Russia and US”.

He also told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme Russian submarines, which have been speeding towards the tanker to escort it, would not fire on the US forces but could cause “technical difficulties” such as a “slight collision”.

While Offutt Air Force Base is the E-4B Nightwatch’s permanent base, the aircraft routinely operates away from Nebraska, with deployments to sites such as Kelly Field in Texas for servicing and Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado.

Flight tracking data indicates it lifted off from Omaha at 4:50pm ET on Tuesday and remained airborne for close to three hours before proceeding towards Camp Springs.

Built as the US military’s airborne national command post, the E-4B is intended to move between locations as required, ensuring continuity of command and readiness across a wide range of scenarios.

Beyond its strategic nuclear role, the aircraft has also supported domestic operations, including carrying FEMA personnel and functioning as a flying command centre during Hurricane Opal in 1995.