A plane shrouded in mystery captured the attention of thousands on
Wednesday. Nobody knew why a high-altitude plane circled the City of Denver for
hours. Now the Navy has some answers.
Denver7 tracked
IRON99 as it traveled from the West Coast to Oklahoma, where it eventually
landed at Tinker Air Force Base, however it spent roughly an hour in Denver,
circling in a racetrack-style holding pattern over the city.
A
clear day allowed thousands to see the flight path and contrails created by the
large swept wing, four-engine plane.
Denver7
branded it a mystery in a previous
report because
officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Northern Command
(NORTHCOM), U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), North American Aerospace Defense
Command (NORAD) and a dozen Air Force Bases could not confirm what the flight
may have been.
A
day later -- after the plane landed -- Navy officials responded to comment on
the flight, confirming it did hang over Denver for roughly an hour in a holding
pattern.
Lt.
Leslie Hubbell, who is the assistant public affairs officer for Commander Naval
Air Forces, confirmed IRON99's identity is a Navy E-6B Mercury, created by
Boeing at a cost of $141.7 million per unit.
The
unit's overall mission is classified, Hubbell said, but did confirm the mission
of the plane's class.
"The
overall mission of the E-6B is command, control and communications abilities to
direct and employ strategic resources," Hubbell said.
In
laymen's terms, the planes are able to launch nuclear missiles and communicate
with diverse assets, including nuclear submarines.
According
to the Navy's website, the E-6B is a high-tech and large plane, each of which
is equipped with an airborne launch control system that can reliably launch
intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
As
to what the incredible weapon was doing above the Denver skyline -- Hubbell
said it was halted by the FAA when traveling from its forwarding base in
California back to Tinker Air Force Base, where the planes are serviced and
housed.
The
plane's forwarding location is Travis Air Force Base in Northern California,
which declined to admit the plane departed from the base earlier Wednesday
morning when asked by Denver7.
Travis
Air Force Base officials weren't alone, the FAA said it had no contact with the
plane Wednesday despite Hubbell's statement that the FAA told the plane to hold
over Denver.
Although
the Navy said the plane simply was flying from its forwarding base back to home
base, a high-ranking federal official who wasn't authorized to speak on the
matter said the plane was involved in a classified training mission organized
by the Department of Defense.
The
training mission reportedly centered around electronic surveillance and
involved several agencies which aren't likely to comment on the mission, the
source said.
The
source said the mission wasn't out of the ordinary despite its size, noting the
public isn't usually aware of such training missions.
It's
not known if the mission had anything to do with a Denver-area mission to
evaluate drone detection near the Denver International Airport. The FAA announced it would conduct
work with the help of
the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and more to help
learn what technologies can aid in safely detecting drone activity near
airports.
Members
of the public got a rare glimpse of a powerful military tool, potentially on a
training mission thanks to the clear skies over Denver, but it is no longer a
mystery.
--
More on the E-6B --
The
Boeing model is part of the Navy's TACAMO mission, which stands for Take
Charge And Move Out. The Navy basically uses the plane as a mobile command
center that will be functional and reliable in times of crisis.
Sixteen
units were created for the Navy, and they operate out of Oklahoma, frequently
using the flight call letters of IRON99.
The
planes from the ground up look a lot like Boeing 707 units because the plane is
modeled off the old Boeing product. Painted bright white to look nondescript,
the planes have more than six hours of loiter time in the air and have a range
of just over 7,500 miles.
The
planes can fly above 40,000 feet, however the E-6B flew at roughly 35,000 feet
on Wednesday. This class of plane has been fully in service since 2003
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