The Bus (formally known as the CXD 23215 Airborne Mobile Command Station officially designated as "S.H.I.E.L.D. 6-1-6".) was a specialized Boeing C-17 Globemaster III owned and modified by S.H.I.E.L.D.. The planes were in heavy rotation from the 1980s to the 1990s until S.H.I.E.L.D. built the Helicarrier. Following, the Battle of New York on Director Nick Fury's and Agent Phil Coulson's orders, the Bus underwent a complete overhaul.[2]It served as a flying command center for Agent Phil Coulson and his team before being stolen by Grant Ward. Coulson's team reclaimed it during the Battle at Cybertek. It continued its role as Coulson's mobile command center when he became Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, although Coulson's team became primarily based at the Playground base.