Introduction:
Greetings to all members and subscribers of the Americans for a Stronger Navy blog. Our organization’s mission is to promote peace through strength.
Today, we are excited to share some news regarding the U.S. Navy’s plan to purchase new aircraft that will act as communication links between the government and nuclear forces worldwide.
Summary:
The Navy is preparing to replace the E-6 Mercury with the E-XX, a new aircraft that will be based on the C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft. The E-XX will be responsible for transmitting messages to missile submarines and other nuclear forces, including the launch codes for nuclear weapons if necessary.
The Navy will release a requirements list for the new plane, with three test aircraft set to be built soon, followed by a contract for nine more by 2025. The 12 new aircraft will replace the 16 E-6s currently in service.
The TACAMO (take charge and move out) planes are responsible for relaying Emergency Action Messages (EAMs) to submarines at sea. The submarines are armed with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles and are tasked to disappear into the oceans to evade detection.
TACAMO planes ensure that the National Command Authority can command nuclear forces even in the midst of a nuclear war. One
TACAMO plane is usually in the air at all times, and it’s not uncommon for up to six to be in the air at once.
The new E-XX TACAMO will trail long wires that transmit very low-frequency messages, which can penetrate seawater and reach submerged submarines. Lockheed Martin’s entry for the E-XX competition is the EC-130J TACAMO, a plane it is co-developing with Raytheon and Northrop Grumman.
Northrop Grumman along with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Raytheon Intelligence & Space, Crescent Systems, and Long Wave Inc. to partner to develop a solution for the US Navy’s E-XX TACAMO requirements.
Key Takeaways:
- The Navy is preparing to replace the E-6 Mercury with the E-XX, a new aircraft that will be based on the C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft.
- The E-XX will be responsible for transmitting messages to missile submarines and other nuclear forces, including the launch codes for nuclear weapons if necessary.
- The TACAMO planes ensure that the National Command Authority can command nuclear forces even in the midst of a nuclear war.
- The new E-XX TACAMO will trail long wires that transmit very low-frequency messages, which can penetrate seawater and reach submerged submarines.
- Lockheed Martin’s entry for the E-XX competition is the EC-130J TACAMO, a plane it is co-developing with Raytheon and Northrop Grumman.
Conclusion:
The TACAMO aircraft are some of the most important planes in the entire U.S. military arsenal, as their job as an essential link in nuclear command and control means they truly live up to their hype as the “deadliest planes in the world.” We hope this news has informed and inspired our readers to support a Stronger Navy. Let us work together to promote peace through strength.