Editing Boeing E-6 Mercury (section)

=== Replacement ===
In 2015, both the Air Force and Navy realized that they needed new aircraft to serve the missions of both the E-4 and the E-6. At one point, they considered building one plane to replace both aircraft, but by 2020, the Navy decided to go its own way and develop an aircraft specifically for the TACAMO mission, under the [[Lockheed E-XX|E-XX TACAMO]] program. The Air Force independently pursued an E-4 replacement under the [[Survivable Airborne Operations Center]] program.

The Navy selected a variant of the [[Lockheed EC-130|Lockheed EC-130J]], specifically one derived from the lengthened [[Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules|C-130J-30]]. Initial orders were placed in late 2020 with development beginning in earnest in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jennings |first=Gareth |date=21 Dec 2020 |title=US Navy to field C-130J-30 in nuclear communications role |url=https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-navy-to-field-c-130j-30-in-nuclear-communications-role |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028053806/https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-navy-to-field-c-130j-30-in-nuclear-communications-role |archive-date=28 Oct 2023 |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=Janes.com |language=en}}</ref> Delivery of the first aircraft is expected in FY26.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newdick |first=Thomas |date=2022-04-05 |title=This Is Our First Look At The Navy's Next 'Doomsday Plane,' The EC-130J TACAMO |url=https://www.twz.com/45086/this-is-our-first-look-at-the-navys-next-doomsday-plane |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=The War Zone |language=en-US}}</ref> The Navy expects the E-6 to fulfill the TACAMO role into the 2030s as the E-XX is transitioned into service. 

In October 2024, the replacement aircraft was officially named [[Lockheed Martin E-130J|E-130J]].<ref>{{cite web|title=TACAMO community announces name for new mission aircraft: E-130J|url=https://www.dvidshub.net/news/483549/tacamo-community-announces-name-new-mission-aircraft-e-130j|website=www.dvidshub.net|date=2024-10-21|publisher=Airborne Strategic Command, Control and Communications Program Office|access-date=2024-10-21}}</ref>