People have spotted a potentially rather ominous warning for the near future flying across various American states, as the US government's 'nuclear sniffer' plane has taken to the air amid global tensions.
Nuclear war has been a concern that people across the world have had to deal with for over half a century now, as the threat of mutually assured destruction is seemingly the only thing stopping certain nations from pressing the big red button.
The danger of weapons as destructive as these being used soon has ramped up recently amid growing tensions between global superpowers like the United States, China, and Russia — especially regarding the latter's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Many of these nations have current treaties that prevent nuclear weapons from being used beyond the simple fear of retaliation, yet with the end of one looming close, people have spotted a rather concerning activity.
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As reported by the Daily Mail, various observers have spotted the US Air Force's Boeing WC-135R Constant Phoenix plane flying across a number of states on Thursday, January 8, leading some to fear that nuclear conflict could be on the horizon.
Unlike the presidential plane that's designed to evacuate the head of state in the event of an attack, this jet is known as a 'nuclear sniffer', as its purpose is to collect samples from the atmosphere which are then studied to detect and identify radioactive debris in the air from nuclear explosions.
It took off from Nebraska this week, flying over South Dakota and then looping near Fargo, North Dakota for an extended period of time.
While this might seem relatively innocuous – and it very well could be, as the WC-135R regularly flies around the domestic airspace for training, calibration, and monitoring purposes – the timing of this particular flight has cause some alarm.
Not only are tensions high following the United States government's invasion of Venezuela, but many are aware that the New START Treaty between America and Russia that prevents the use of nuclear weapons is set to expire on February 5.
There's no indication right now what form a new treaty will take between the two nations – if there is one at all – but the sight of a plane specifically designed to test the air following an attack isn't exactly a sight that people want to see right now.
WC-135R can't carry or drop nuclear weapons so this isn't necessarily a threat or warning of an impending attack from the United States, but some are taking it as a preparation for the worst case scenario.