Overview
- Airport and local reports confirm an E-6B Mercury spent about two hours over the weekend performing landing approaches and touch-and-goes at Fresno Yosemite International Airport.
- The E-6B is part of the U.S. nuclear command, control and communications architecture, providing survivable links to national leadership and the strategic force in extreme emergencies.
- The Fresno sighting drew outsized attention because news outlets recently reported an FBI alert describing an alleged Iranian interest in using drones to target the U.S. West Coast.
- Fresno’s spokesperson said such training is common, citing the airport’s location, runway capabilities and instrument landing systems as reasons it is used by a range of aircraft.
- Days after the E-6B activity, residents and local media reported a Boeing P-8 Poseidon flying over Fresno for roughly 30 minutes after departing Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, a type that routinely trains along the West Coast.