- Advertisement -
Science Picker
  • Life and Environment
  • Chemistry and Technology
  • Space and Astronomy
Science Picker
- Advertisement -
Home Chemistry and Technology

The doomsday plane was designed to survive a nuclear attack – A bird took it down

by Walter Terrell
March 25, 2022
in Chemistry and Technology
The doomsday plane was designed to survive a nuclear attack – A bird took it down

Shutterstock.com/Pavel L Photo and Video

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

The United States Navy “doomsday” aircraft which was designed to survive a nuclear attack, was recently taken down by a bird. The bird strike damaged one of the plane’s four engines, and the U.S. Navy declared it an “A- Class mishap.” This meant that the bird strike event caused more than $2 million in damages, death or permanent disability. 

On 2nd October, when an aircraft lands and then takes off again without coming to a full stop — the E-6B Mercury aircraft struck an as-yet-unidentified bird, Tim Boulay, a spokesman for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, told Military.com. The bird strike event took place at the Maryland Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

No injuries were reported, and the plane landed safely on the runway at the air station at 3:12 p.m. ET, Military.com reported. 

And now, the plane is back in action. “The engine has been replaced, and the aircraft has been returned to service,” Boulay said, according to Military.com.

The bird strike event marked the second A-Class mishap of this type of doomsday aircraft. In February, an E-6B Mercury snagged a hangar while being moved one place to another at the Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.

A Boeing 707, E-6B Mercury, that’s a souped-up military-style to serve as an airborne command and communications platform for the U.S. Navy in the event of a nuclear war. Its systems are designed to survive the nuclear bombs detonating below it, according to a report by The Center for the National Interest, a public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. 

The aircraft uses a low-frequency system for communication that would allow those in charge to communicate with the United States Navy‘s nuclear missile force on ballistic missile submarines at sea.

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

This doomsday airplane was also equipped with the airborne launch control system, meaning it can launch land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles. 

Bird strikes are not uncommon. According to the government program Department of Defense Partners in Flight (DoD PIF), every year, about 3,000 wildlife-strike incidents are reported for military aircraft and another 2,300-plus for the civil crafts.

Multiple prevention programs, including the Bird or Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard program, have been put into place in an effort to reduce these incidents of bird-strike. 

- Advertisement -
Next Post
The temporary and beautiful invasion of wildlife

The temporary and beautiful invasion of wildlife

All You Need To Know About Bluetooth Technology

All You Need To Know About Bluetooth Technology

New cancer vaccine manages cells four years after injection

New cancer vaccine manages cells four years after injection

- Advertisement -

Newsletter

    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Popular News

    Tesla Cybertruck- New Era of Revolution
    Chemistry and Technology

    Tesla Cybertruck- New Era of Revolution

    October 23, 2021
    How did the universe start?
    Space and Astronomy

    How did the universe start?

    August 27, 2021
    Five Beneficial Weight Loss Strategies
    Chemistry and Technology

    Five Beneficial Weight Loss Strategies

    December 27, 2021

    Recent News

    Get to know about the green anaconda

    Get to know about the green anaconda

    May 14, 2022
    How old galaxies become dead galaxies

    How old galaxies become dead galaxies

    May 13, 2022

    Category

    • Chemistry and Technology
    • Life and Environment
    • Space and Astronomy
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Disclaimer

    © Science Picker

    • Life and Environment
    • Chemistry and Technology
    • Space and Astronomy

    © Science Picker