He E-4B Nightwatchbetter known as the “final judgment plane”, is a key piece of the National Military Command System. It is a modified version of the Boeing 747-200, such as the presidential planeequipped with meeting rooms and advanced communications systems, essential to execute emergency orders and coordinate the Armed Forces in case the ground command and control centers are inoperative.
In addition, this plane is usually used by the Secretary of Defense on its trips abroad, guaranteeing connectivity and command capacity according to the organization of the country’s armed forces. But what happens if no E-4B is available? This is an expected scenario and for which there is an alternative.
If the E-4B cannot fly, the C-17 comes into action
There are multiple reasons why E-4B may not be operational: routine maintenance, technical failures or even deployments in crisis situations. Even if any of the four copies of the fleet were in a position to fly, it is possible that the authorities decide not to use it for strategic reasons. In those cases, high -importance passengers, called VVIP in English, can move in the C-17 Globemaster III.
An E-4B Nightwatch (above), a C-17 GlobeMaster III (below)
Here we enter a known field. It is a colossus of four engines originally designed by McDonnell Douglas and whose legacy continues under Boeing. Its robustness is undeniable, but its interior is far from offering an adequate environment for VVIP. The load warehouse lacks connectivity and does not have work stations. To solve this problem there is Silver bulleta kind of capsule that makes the C-17 a transport suitable for high controls.
Military personnel install a silver bullet in a C-17 GlobeMaster III
When this alternative is activated, The Air Mobility Command and the 89th maintenance group install a silver bullet inside a C-17. The process involves moving the capsule with a trailer, ensuring it in the plane’s cellar and connecting a complex umbilical cable system that guarantee the Safe communication.
Jens Stoltenberg in a silver bullet (left), Pete Hegseth inside another (right)
Over the years, various images have allowed to take a look inside this ultrasegura capsule. In 2017, the then NATO general secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, He shared a photograph of a meeting inside the silver bullet. More recently, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared in a video posted in X from inside.
The space is reduced but functional: wooden panels, brown leather seats, telephones and safe computers, a bathroom and even a microwave. However, Your time is counted. The Air Force plans to replace these capsules, designed decades ago, by most advanced versions With better connectivity, more current shots, bedrooms and conferences rooms with capacity for up to nine people.
Images | US Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. Robert Cloys (1, 2, 3) Public Domain | Jens Stoltenberg | Wikimedia Commons
