Report: U.S. nuclear command plane tracked in 'unusual' flight off Greenland

An expert revealed that a U.S. military command aircraft capable of communicating with nuclear-armed submarines was tracked on an "unusual" flight near Greenland, Denmark, U.S. media outlet Newsweek reported on Friday.

Newsweek reported that the U.S. Navy had confirmed on Thursday the deployment of the E-6B airborne command post, also known as "Mercury," at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland as part of what it described as "routine operations" and joint exercises with nuclear submarines in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. The reported deployment of the E-6B aircraft in Greenland follows Trump's claim earlier this month that he has ordered two nuclear submarines "to be positioned in the appropriate regions" in response to remarks from Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.

According to the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command's official website, the E-6B Mercury is a communications relay and strategic airborne command post aircraft, and it provides "survivable, reliable and endurable" airborne nuclear command, control and communications for the U.S. president. As of December 19, 2024, the U.S. Navy operated a fleet of 16 E-6B aircraft, according to British aviation news outlet FlightGlobal.

(With input from Xinhua)