Doomsday Plane appearance at LAX sparks onlin...

What’s Happening

Let’s talk about Rare appearance of the military’s “Doomsday Plane” sparks online worry A spectator watches as a United Airlines flight takes off at LAX, as seen from Clutter’s Park on Sunday, Oct.

(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times) By Corinne Purtill Staff Writer Jan. 10, 2026 1 PM PT 14 2 min Click here to listen to this article via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp Copy Link URL Copied! (yes, really)

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The Details

Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . The military aircraft known as the “Doomsday Plane” touched down at Los Angeles International Airport this week.

The plane brought Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Southern California as part of his monthlong “Arsenal of Freedom” tour. P]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix mb-10 md:max-w-170 md:mx-auto” data-r-content The federal government’s Boeing E-4B Nightwatch — a military aircraft known, somewhat alarmingly, as the “Doomsday Plane” — touched down at Los Angeles International Airport this week, in what may be the famed aircraft’s first-ever LAX landing.

Why This Matters

Aviation enthusiasts spotted the plane Thursday on its approach to LAX. Air Force as a “highly survivable command, control and communications center. ” The plane is equipped to serve as an airborne operations center for the president, the Defense secretary and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the event of a disaster that wipes out command centers on land.

International observers are watching how this situation develops.

Key Takeaways

• Its sudden appearance at a busy commercial airport sparked a flurry of online speculation.
• ” one X user posted , in one of several anxious socials responses to the plane’s appearance.
• In this case, the plane was ferrying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Southern California as part of his monthlong “Arsenal of Freedom” tour.

The Bottom Line

In this case, the plane was ferrying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Southern California as part of his monthlong “Arsenal of Freedom” tour. Hegseth spoke Thursday at a Long Beach manufacturing plant, Rocket Lab, the second stop on what the Department of Defense described as a monthlong tour of U.

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