WASHINGTON — The Air Force is kickstarting a new program for aircraft capable of launching ground-based nuclear missiles, retaking a role that decades ago was assigned to the US Navy, according to an industry notice.
In a post on Dec. 9, the Air Force announced an industry day for a program dubbed “Looking Glass – Next,” a reference to Operation Looking Glass, the task of launching nuclear ICBMs in the event ground control stations are destroyed. The Looking Glass mission was relinquished by the Air Force in 1998 to the Navy’s E-6B Mercury.
But the notice indicates that Looking Glass is poised to move back to the Air Force’s remit, saying the new program “is aimed at recapitalizing missions currently executed on the E-6B.” Earlier this year, Pentagon officials revealed they were considering splitting the E-6B’s dual roles, reassigning Looking Glass to the Air Force and leaving the Mercury to retain communications with ballistic missile submarines, a role known as Take Charge and Move Out, or TACAMO.
Based on the industry notice, it appears the E-6B’s roles will indeed be split to once again leave the Air Force in charge of Looking Glass — adding another nuclear modernization program to multiple already underway at the service. After publication of this report, a Pentagon spokesperson said they had no additional information to provide.
JJ Gertler, an analyst at the Teal Group consultancy, told Breaking Defense that Looking Glass returning to the Air Force “looks to be less about Air Force rules and missions than about the Navy budget,” considering the E-6B is aging out and expensive to operate. Referring 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.” With the naval aircraft limited to TACAMO, “the Air Force had to find someplace else for Looking Glass,” he added.
Since the Air Force is recapitalizing the E-4B Nightwatch, also known as the “Doomsday” plane, that transports the defense secretary but also serves as a mobile command outpost, Gertler said it “wouldn’t be too surprising to see the [Looking Glass] mission back on that plane. But for the Air Force, this move is less about strategic choice than simple necessity.”
Noting that the Looking Glass mission originally ended up on the E-6 “because the Air Force couldn’t afford to keep its fleet of dedicated Looking Glass jets flying,” Gertler said the Air Force “reached a deal with the Navy. The services’ interests have since diverged.”
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Congress has taken notice in the meantime. A provision in the compromise version of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, passed by the House this week, would partially restrict the Air Force secretary’s travel expenses until a report is submitted “on the acquisition strategy of the Air Force to maintain the Airborne Command Post capability” — the formal name for the Looking Glass mission. The bill text specifically directs the service to consider using the C-130J-30 Super Hercules, the airframe the Navy selected for its new TACAMO platform.
Responses to the Air Force’s industry day notice are due Jan. 9, and the Looking Glass – Next industry day itself is scheduled for Jan. 29.