A U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury recently turned heads in Tucson, Arizona after it appeared there with what looked to be a heavily weathered paint job. The War Zone subsequently reached out to the Navy for more information and have learned that the service is itself working to get to the bottom of the matter. The Navy’s E-6Bs are so-called ‘doomsday planes’ that serve as airborne command posts for America’s nuclear deterrent triad.
The E-6B in question has the Navy serial number (also known as Bureau Number, or BuNo) 164387. Pictures, seen at the top of this story and below, show the jet with huge patches of paint missing across much its fuselage, tail, and some of its engine cowlings.
Navy ships have often drawn attention in the past due to running rust and other heavy weathering to their paint jobs. However, similar operational wear and tear does not appear to be what has happened to this particular E-6B.
“The paint on E-6B aircraft 164387 is not adhering to the primer,” Naval Air Systems Command’s (NAVAIR) Airborne Strategic Command, Control, and Communications Program Office (PMA-271) told The War Zone in response to our queries about this Mercury. “We are investigating this issue and an appropriate solution.”