A US 'doomsday' aircraft designed to survive even in the event of nuclear war has been grounded after colliding with a bird.

The E-6B Mercury aircraft suffered at least US$2 million of damage when a bird was sucked into one of its engines during a touch-and-go landing on October 2, the Navy Times reported on Friday.

It's not clear what species the bird was. Nobody was hurt in the mishap, which took place at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland.

"The engine has been replaced, and the aircraft has been returned to service," Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division spokesperson Tim Boulay told military.com.

In a nuclear war, the E-6B - built by Boeing - would serve as a roving communications hub. Staff on board can launch and direct intercontinental ballistic missiles in the event ground control staff are wiped out in a devastating strike.

It's designed to survive electromagnetic pulses from nuclear attacks that would knock other planes out of the sky.