United States Air Force - Boeing EC-135E ARIA 5 : 無料・フリー素材/写真
United States Air Force - Boeing EC-135E ARIA 5 / James St. John
| ライセンス | クリエイティブ・コモンズ 表示 2.1 |
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| 説明 | (National Museum of the United States Air Force collection, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, USA)----------------------From exhibit signage:BOEING EC-135E AIRADuring the early 1960s, NASA and the Department of Defense needed a mobile tracking and telemetry platform to support the Apollo space program and other unmanned space flight operations. In a joint project, NASA and the Department of Defense contracted with the McDonnel Doulgas and the Bendix Corporations to modify eight Boeing C-135 Stratolifter cargo aircraft into Apollo / Range Instrumentation Aircraft. Equipped with a steerable seven-foot antenna dish in its distinctive "Droop Snoot" or "Snoopy Nose", the EC-135N A/RIA became operational in January 1968. The Air Force Eastern Test Range at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida maintained and operated the A/RIA until the end of the Apollo program in 1972 when the United States Air Force renamed it the Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft.Tranferred to the 4950th Test Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio in December 1975 as part of an overall consolidation of large test and evaluation aircraft, the ARIA fleet underwent numerous conversions, including a re-engining that changed the EC-135N to the EC-135E. In 1994, the ARIA fleet relocated to Edwards Air Force Base, California as part of the 412th Test Wing; however, taskings for the ARIA dwindled because of high costs and improved satellite technology, and the United States Air Force transferred the aircraft to other programs such as J-STARS (Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System).On November 3, 2000, a flight crew from the Air Force Flight Test Center delivered the last EC-135E (serial number 60-374, nicknamed "The Bird of Prey") to the museum. Over its 32-year career, the ARIA supported the United States space program, gathered telemetry, verified international treaties, and supported cruise missile and ballistic missile defense tests.TECHNICAL NOTESCrew: 11Engines: Four Pratt & Whitney TF-33-PW-102 turbofans (JT3D) of 18,000 pounds of thrust eachRange: 2800-4500 nautical miles without in-flight refueling (depending on mision and equipment carried)Weight: 300,500 pounds maximum takeoff gross weight---------------------- |
| 撮影日 | 2024-09-08 11:52:42 |
| 撮影者 | James St. John |
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