From Mercury to Phoenix II: Navy’s Bold New TACAMO Plane

The US Navy names its next-gen TACAMO aircraft E-130J Phoenix II, reviving the C-130 lineage for resilient, secure nuclear command and control.

The US Navy just dropped a game-changer in airborne command and control with its newly christened E-130J Phoenix II. Think of it as a reinvention born from legacy Phoenix is known for rising from the ashes, and this plane does just that. Officially named in August 2025 by PMA-271 and Strategic Communications Wing 1, Phoenix II steps in for the long-serving E-6B Mercury, bringing back the C-130 roots that powered the EC-130Q from 1963 to 1993. It’s optimized for the "Take Charge and Move Out" (TACAMO) mission keeping communication lines between America’s leaders and ballistic missile submarines alive and unbreakable.

Here’s how Phoenix II upgrades the game. Built on a stretched C-130J-30 airframe, it’s longer than earlier models and packed with do-or-die gear: EMP-hardened wiring encrypted Very Low Frequency (VLF) antenna arrays that trail behind the plane, and fortified cybersecurity architecture. Northrop Grumman is handling the mission systems integration under a roughly $3.5 billion contract through PMA-271, making sure this plane can fly through electromagnetic storms, cyber threats, or even direct attacks while still relaying launch codes with zero wait time.

Why the name Phoenix II? PMA-271’s Capt. Roger Davis said it perfectly captures resilience and longevity: “We’re transforming a legacy mission aircraft into a system with unmatched survivability and longevity,” he told reporters and SCW-1’s Capt. Britt Windeler pointed out the symbolic return to C-130 heritage as a meaningful nod to roots and purpose. With this platform, Navy planners aren’t just replacing an aging fleet they’re securing a mission-critical link against the unthinkable far into the future.