Navy Has Relied On E-6B Mercury To Carry Out Task Since 1998

The U.S. Air Force announced an industry day for a new aircraft program that will have the capability of launching ground-based nuclear missiles in the event ground control stations are destroyed. The “Looking Glass – Next” mission will be transferred back to the Air Force, removing it from the Navy which has conducted the mission with the E-6B Mercury when the Air Force gave up the original Looking Glass program in 1998.

The Pentagon had said earlier this year it was considering splitting the dual roles of the E-6B into two parts: reassigning Looking Glass to the Air Force and retaining the Mercury to maintain communications with ballistic missile submarines. The latter is known as Take Charge and Move Out or TACAMO.

Dividing the E-6B’s roles adds another nuclear modernization program to the Air Force’s mission.

JJ Gertler is a defense analyst with Teal Group and he said that the return of Looking Glass to the Air Force “looks to be less about Air Force rules and missions than about the Navy budget” while noting that the E-6B is aging out and getting expensive to operate.

He also referred to the Navy’s selection of Northrop Grumman last year to replace the E-6B with a new platform for the TACAMO role, “they limited the platform to that mission.” He added that because the naval aircraft are limited to TACAMO, “the Air Force had to find someplace else for Looking Glass.”

Congress took notice of the changes and has partially restricted the Air Force Secretary’s travel expenses until it receives a report “on the acquisition strategy of the Air Force to maintain the Airborne Command Post capability,” the formal name for Looking Glass. The text of the bill specifically directs the Air Force to consider the C-130J-30 Super Hercules airframe for the mission.

FMI:  www.af.mil/