Aviation Specials - July 2018

E-6B Mercury

The Boeing E-6B is a dual-mission

communications relay and

strategic airborne command

post aircraft that serves as a

survivable, reliable, and endurable

airborne command, control, and

communications (C3) link between

the National Command Authority

(NCA) and US forces.

The E-6B performs very low-

frequency (VLF) emergency

communications and ful ls the

USSTRATCOM airborne command

post mission.

The Boeing 707-320B was

selected as the winner of the

navy’s ECX program in 1979 and

was assigned the designation

E-6A Mercury. The aircraft was

originally developed to provide

a communications link between

the navy’s  eet ballistic missile

submarines and NCA and was

intended to replace the Lockheed

EC-130Q communications aircraft.

Known as take charge and move

out (TACAMO), the mission

enabled communication with

submerged submarines via VLF

radio transmissions. The E-6A

 rst  ew in February 1987 and

began replacing the EC-130Q in

August 1989.

Carried out by Raytheon

E-Systems, the airborne command

post (ABNCP) modi cation

program began in January 1985.

The project transferred

the Looking Glass airborne

command post mission from

USAF Boeing EC-135s to the

Mercury. In addition to adding

battle sta positions, the ABNCP

modi cations installed an airborne

launch control system (ALCS)

in the upgraded aircraft, which

was redesignated as the E-6B.

In addition to the capability to

check the status of ground-based

inter-continental ballistic missiles

(ICBMs), E-6B crews can launch

the missiles or change their target

assignment.

The  rst E-6B entered service in

October 1997 and the Mercury

took over the Looking Glass

mission in October 1998. The

16th and  nal upgraded E-6B was

delivered in 2006.

A SLEP that began in 2009

extended the E-6B’s service life

from 27,000 hours to 45,000

hours and allows the aircraft to

remain in service until 2038 or

later. The multi-phase program is

being carried out by the USAF’s

Oklahoma City Air Logistics

Complex at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma,

and Phase I is scheduled for

completion in 2019.

A Block I program that

replaces numerous obsolete

components is being carried

out by L-3 Communications. The

contractor delivered the  rst

Block I E-6B in February 2009 and

it achieved initial operational

capability in 2014. The last Block

I modi cation is scheduled for

completion in 2019.

A multi-phase communications

upgrade program is updating

the E-6B’s digital communication

capabilities. It improves airborne

command post operations

and modernizes direct over-

the-horizon communications

links with deployed strategic

forces. In addition to the

international marine/maritime

satellite (INMARSAT), it provides

a high-power transmit set

(HPTS) technology upgrade

and high-frequency automatic

link establishment (HF-ALE)

replacement and integrates a

commercial wideband satellite

communication (SATCOM)

capability.

The E-6B’s communications

will be further improved

through incorporation of the

multi-role common data links

(MR-TCDL) and replacement

of the E-6B’s MILSTAR system

with the advanced extremely

high-frequency (AEHF) family of

beyond line-of-sight terminals

(FAB-T) and presidential national

voice conferencing (PNVC), which

respectively replace the obsolete

military strategic tactical relay

terminal’s secure emergency

conferencing network. This work is

progressing through  ight-testing

to production upgrades.

The FY 2018 budget request

includes a request for funds to

begin work to develop a new

aircraft called the Survivable

Airborne Operations Center that will

merge the missions of the E-6B with

the USAF’s E-4B National Airborne

Operations Center (NAOC).

Squadron Location Aircraft Command Tail code

VQ-3 ‘Ironmen’

(see note 1) Tinker AFB, Oklahoma E-6B CSCW-1

VQ-4 ‘Shadows’

(see note 2) Tinker AFB, Oklahoma E-6B CSCW-1

VX-20 ‘Force’ NAS Patuxent River, Maryland E-6B NAWCAD

1 VQ-3 maintains detachments at Travis AFB, California, and O utt AFB, Nebraska.

2 VQ-4 maintains a detachment at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.

A US Navy E-6B Mercury during an

intercontinental ballistic missiles

(ICBM) exercise.

USAF/A1C Keifer Bowes

US NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2018

(^72) AIR POWER REVIEW
66-85 US Navy Review C.indd 72 01/06/2018 10:11