USAF 'Doomsday Plane' Pilots Get New E-4B Simulator

The simulator is the first high-fidelity, full-motion training device that replicates E-4B flying operations and aerial refueling, the Air Force said.

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, April 07, 2022 at 05:07 PM ET

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Maj. Jon Grossrhode (left), an E-4B pilot from the 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron, and Master Sgt. Sean Killian, a flight engineer from 595th command and Control Group, perform acceptance testing inside the new E4-B flight simulator. [U.S. Air Force photo: L. Cunningham]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Air Force has received a new high-fidelity, full-motion flight simulator for the E-4B Nightwatch "Doomsday Plane" at Offutt Air Force Base.
This simulator enables pilots and flight engineers to safely practice dangerous emergency situations, such as shutting down multiple engines or recovering from stalls, which cannot be performed in the actual aircraft.
The new training device replaces an older simulator and significantly reduces the need for actual training sorties, thereby increasing the availability and reducing operational hours of the critical E-4B aircraft.

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The U.S. Air Force has taken delivery of a new high-fidelity, full-motion flight simulator for the E-4B Nightwatch “Doomsday Plane” that will allow pilots and flight engineers to train for flight operations of the aircraft described as a flying Pentagon.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Simulator Division delivered the E-4B simulator to the 595th Command and Control Group at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, earlier this month. The simulator is designed to replicate flight operations and aerial refueling for the aircraft that is designed to serve, if necessary, as a command platform for high-level military operations, including a U.S. nuclear weapons strike.