Its mission is to collect samples from the atmosphere for the purpose of detecting and identifying nuclear explosions. It is also informally referred to as the "weather bird" [2] or "the sniffer" by workers on the program and international media respectively. [3] A WC-135B at Fairford in 1988. This aircraft later became a WC-135W.

WC-135 aircraft began replacing the WB-50s in December 1965 and became the workhorse of the atmospheric collection program. Air sampling missions were routinely conducted over the Far East, Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, Mediterranean Sea, the Polar regions, and off the coasts of South America and Africa.

May 6, 2023 · Boeing WC-135B Constant Phoenix (717-158) with registration 61-2673 airframe details and operator history including first flight and delivery dates, seat configurations, engines, fleet numbers and names

Assigned to the 56th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and later modified to C-135C to serve the 89th Military Airlift Wing. It was moved to AMARC on 28 September 1993 with inventory code CA0090. On 25 October 2013 it left the storage deport and weas scrapped.

Mar 6, 2023 · The WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft was developed by modifying C-135B or EC-135C platform. The modifications in the aircraft are associated with the installation of an atmospheric collection suite, which allows for the detection of radioactive clouds in real-time.

Flew WC135Bs out of KMCC 1977-1981. What a great airplane!! If you could handle 135, you could handle any Boeing airplane. Most interesting missions were the ones we were tasked with in 1979 when something flashed over the South Pacific when we were on a …

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Aircraft photo of 61-2666 / 12666 / 2666 - Boeing WC-135B - USA - Air Force, taken by Terry Dann Collection at Mildenhall (EGUN / MHZ) in England, United Kingdom in July 1971. Later converted to WC-135W and then became the sole NC-135W. Current in 2022.

Assigned to the 55th Weather Reconaissance Squadron at McClellan AFB in Sacramento California. Shown at RAF Mildenhall during Operation Desert Storm. Note the Starcast Camera window on the cargo door and the air sampling foil on the side of the fuselage. This aircraft is no longer designated a WC-135.