Since 1989, the Boeing E-6 Mercury, often regarded as the 'deadliest plane in the world,' has been an integral part of the United States military fleet. However, as the model advances in age, a replacement pathway is needed. In April 2023, Northrop Grumman, along with partners Raytheon Intelligence & Space, Lockheed Martin, Crescent Systems Inc., and Long Wave Inc., unveiled the design for the Lockheed E-XX. The aircraft will replace the dated E-6 Mercury as a TACAMO (Take Charge And Move Out) strategic aircraft.
Boeing E-6 Mercury
The Boeing E-6 Mercury is based on the Boeing 707-300, and was produced until 1991. For almost 35 years, the type has served as an intrinsic part of the United States military, debuting with the United States Navy in 1989. The aircraft was initially used as an air control center for the Navy's fleet of nuclear-powered submarines serving in the TACAMO role. The role allows the President, Secretary of Defense, and other military leaders to communicate with and control forces, including nuclear missile-armed submarines worldwide.
Photo: BlueBarronPhoto | Shutterstock
Despite flying for almost 35 years with the United States military, the original Mercury jets have been updated to include the latest technology, enabling them to offer expanded capability as a command and control center. As such, the plane serves multiple roles, including being an airborne command center for nuclear forces if ground communications fail, and it retains the role of a TACAMO jet.
Due to its specialized and vital role, the E-6 boasts ample communication technology, such as VLF (very low frequency), HF (high frequency), VHF (very high frequency), UHF (ultra high frequency), satellite, and submarine communication. Moreover, the quadjet can withstand a nuclear explosion in the atmosphere, also known as an electromagnetic pulse. Between 1998 and 2006, the United States upgraded its entire fleet of Mercury jets to the E6-B standard under the Integrated Modification and Maintenance Contract (IMMC). This solidified the Mercury as the ultimate doomsday plane for the military.
While the airframe of the Mercury continues to age, the technology does not. A second major update program is underway in partnership with Northrop Grumman. The first upgraded E-6B Mercury was completed in June 2023, with the rest of the fleet following suit. The update includes incorporating the latest cutting-edge technology in the Mercury to ensure that it could provide reliable, endurable, and survival airborne command, control, and communications between United States forces and the National Command Authority if necessary.
Photo: United States Navy
Even with the age of the Mercury jets, they are expected to remain in service. According to the Defense Post, the plane will likely stay in service through 2038. Despite the retirement date due to the aging Mercury fleet, a modernized version is needed, according to 2024 budget documents from the Navy. Today, the United States operates a fleet of 16 Mercury aircraft, and it has been reported that there is always at least one airborne at all times. This takes us to the Lockheed E-XX, the planned replacement for the Mercury fleet.
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What we know about the E-XX
The new project set to replace the E-6 fleet is chiefly the Lockheed E-XX project, and development began in 2022; however, it was only announced in April 2023 at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space 2023 conference in National Harbor, Maryland. In 2020, the United States Navy initially awarded the contract to Lockheed Martin for three C-130J Super Hercules to serve as testbeds for TACAMO missions. The C-130J-30 Super Hercules, a variant of the C-130 with an additional 15 feet added to the fuselage, was initially chosen as a testbed. It was the right size for the mission and could fly better than the Mercury.
Photo: United States Air Force
The Navy is expected to award an official engineering and manufacturing contract by the first quarter of 2025. Lockheed Martin's proposal features a team of companies, including Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Long Wave, and Crescent Systems. While it is unknown if other companies will compete for the E-XX contract, Boeing, the manufacturer of the Mercury aircraft, will not pursue the program. The Navy is anticipated to acquire a fleet of nine E-XX aircraft to replace the aging Mercury aircraft.
The ethos behind the project is to build a militarized version of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft to take on the responsibility of submarine communications and the TACAMO role of the Mercury. However, unlike the Mercury, the E-XX will not operate under the BNCP (Airborne National Command Post) role, as the E-6 will retain that position. Since the Navy wants a quick transition to the E-XX, the new aircraft will not bring any new technologies besides advanced computing systems and radios. Overall, the Navy's goal is to take the technology already used and switch it to the C-130 airframe as soon as possible. This is primarily due to the significance of the TACAMO mission, as it is too important to experiment with unproven technologies.
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