TACAMOacronym in English for Take Charge and Move Out or Take Control and Moveis the acronym used to call the military communications system of the United States designed to, in a nuclear war, keep them between decision makers and the country’s nuclear forcesincluding ballistic missile submarines, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and nuclear-capable bombers. The aircraft that support the TACAMO system are commonly called ‘doomsday planes‘and this Wednesday it was known what the next one that the United States Navy will look like will look like. The manufacturer Northrop Grumman has presented the new design of the future Doomsday plane E-130J.
The image, which heads this article, has been included in a statement published by the company this Wednesday, in which it announces a contract for 3,549 million dollars with the US Navy to lead conversion of Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 cargo aircraft to the new E-130J configuration. The contract covers ‘3 Engineering Development Models (EDM) and options for up to 3 System Demonstration Test Articles (SDTA) and up to 6 aircraft in the first production batch,’ according to a statement from the Navy.
The E-130J will replace aircraft E-6B Mercurymodified Boeing 707s, which currently support the TACAMO and Looking Glass of the Air Force Air Command. It will do so in the first case, not in the second, which is also a strategic mission that provides command, control and communications capability for nuclear forces in the event that ground systems are disabled or compromised.
The Northrop Grumman-led team also includes the advanced projects divisions Skunk Works from Lockheed Martin, Raytheon (through its subsidiary Collins Aerospace), Crescent Systems Inc. and Long Wave Inc. In November, Lockheed Martin, through the Navy, released images, including one showing the front section of the first C-130J-30 intended to become an E-130J.
Northrop Grumman’s new design shows that the E-130J will feature deployable wire antennas with end beacons for VLF communication (Very Low Frequency) with submerged submarines, requiring TACAMO aircraft to fly in slow, steep circular patterns so that the tips fall vertically, a large dome SATCOM (satellite communications) located in the forward fuselage and various additional antennas for secure and robust communications. Also includes a modification to the left landing gear compartmentpossibly to house additional equipment or cooling systems, according to Army Recognition.
‘Northrop Grumman has invested more than 1 billion dollars in digital engineering and manufacturing capabilities that will help rapidly design, build, test and maintain the E-130J,’ Northrop Grumman explained. ‘The effort will incorporate advanced technology leadership, agile design, digital engineering and weapons systems integration expertise to leverage readiness from day one.’
The TACAMO mission has been operational since 1969. Before the introduction of the E-6 series at the end of the Cold War, the Navy used aircraft EC-130G and Q specially modified for the TACAMO mission. The E-6B They arrived on the TACAMO and Looking Glass missions in the 1990s. Production of the first E-130J began in November 2024 and delivery is scheduled for 2026.