Donald Trump’s ‘doomsday plane’ lands near Washington DC after ‘highly unusual’ movement as President weighs up strike

An emergency command aircraft designed to survive a nuclear attack was spotted in Washington D.C. as concerns about the US launching military strikes on Iran grow.

The Boeing E-4B 'Nightwatch' jet, often dubbed the 'doomsday plane' made an unusual trip from Louisiana to a military base close to the Washington D.C. area earlier this week (per The New York Post).

According to flight tracking data, the aircraft departed from the southern US state at 6pm on Tuesday (17 June) and landed at a military base in Maryland, near the capitol, several hours later.

What is the US 'doomsday plane'?

The United States has a fleet of fleet of four E-4Bs, which are assigned to an airbase in Omaha, Nebraska.

These jets have been in existence since the Cold War, and serve as a mobile war room for a sitting US President.

(Fabrizio Gandolfo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The aircraft is specially designed to protect the US President as well as key government and military officials should the country face a nuclear strike or direct attack. It can also fly for around 12 hours and be refuelled in midair.

According to Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer, one of the planes is 'is on alert at all times, often traveling with the president or secretary of defence in case of emergency.'

While spotting the jet in the air may be a sign of impending doom, it's worth nothing that the fleet of four E-4B jets make regular flights throughout the year in order to maintain military readiness.

The flight comes as President Donald Trump is said to be weighing up joining Israel in their military strikes on Iran.

When asked about the possibility of the US getting involved, the 79-year-old responded: "I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.

"I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate," he continued, adding that 'the next week is going to be very big' for global politics.

Trump has not ruled out or committed to joining military strikes on Iran (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

He has also addressed the conflict numerous times on his Truth Social times, suggesting that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was currently 'safe' but nevertheless he was an 'easy target' for the US should they decide on military intervention.

Meanwhile, Khamenei has rejected calls from the US to commit to an 'unconditional surrender.'

"The Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage," he said in a statement, which was read out on Iranian TV.