A massive U.S. Air Force aircraft nicknamed the “Doomsday Plane” touched down at Los Angeles International Airport this week, immediately lighting up social media with apocalyptic speculation.
The plane was a Boeing E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post, TMZ reported, the airborne command center designed to keep the president operational during a nuclear war or national catastrophe, and the same aircraft President Donald Trump would use in an extreme emergency. The sighting prompted some users to openly wonder whether World War III was imminent. (RELATED: Trump Says He Isn’t Considering A Pardon For Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs)
Online, the fear and curiosity are palpable.
“This plane almost never flies publicly. It doesn’t move for routine reasons, and it definitely doesn’t relocate without something changing behind the scenes,” one user wrote on X. “When the government’s last resort survival aircraft moves in silence, it means someone is preparing for scenarios they don’t want discussed out loud.”
Another user posted a lengthy breakdown claiming the flight itself was proof something was amiss, arguing that operating the aircraft costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour and questioning why the Pentagon would deploy a nuclear command post to Los Angeles rather than use a standard government jet.
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 09: U.S. President Donald Trump gives brief remarks to members of the press after exiting Air Force One on November 9, 2025 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Trump spent the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
The speculation only escalated as users began stitching the sighting into a broader geopolitical narrative.
“First time the E-4B Nightwatch has ever landed at LAX in its 51 years of service. Three days after U.S. forces captured Maduro in Venezuela.Same week Iran’s Army Chief threatened preemptive strike. Same day Trump proposed a $1.5 trillion defense budget,” the user continued.
Others pushed back, arguing the flight was meant to project power rather than signal panic.
“Some folks are asking why the Pentagon spent $372k an hour when they could’ve spent $43k,” another person wrote. “Friend, that’s like asking why you drive the F-350 to the cookout when the Corolla gets better mileage. Because it ain’t about the mileage. It’s about what pulls into the driveway. Iran sees. Venezuela sees. Everyone sees. That’s the point.”
Additional comments echoed that theme, with users calling it a “show of force,” as well as “strategic signal,” and even joking that officials simply needed to “warm it up.”
Despite the internet’s certainty, no official explanation has been offered for why the aircraft was in the air or why it landed in Los Angeles.
