The Boeing EC-135 is a retired family of command and control aircraft derived from the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter.
During the Cold War, the EC-135 was best known for being modified to perform the Looking Glass mission where one EC-135 was always airborne 24 hours a day to serve as flying command post for the Strategic Air Command in the event of nuclear war.
Various other EC-135 aircraft sat on airborne and ground alert throughout the Cold War, with the last EC-135C being retired in 1998.
The EC-135N variant served as the tracking aircraft for the Apollo program.
Variants
EC-135A
KC-135A modified for airborne national command post role.
Later performed Airborne Launch Control Centre mission with the Airborne Launch Control System.
EC-135B
C-135B modified with large nose for ARIA mission
EC-135C
Re designated KC-135B to EC-135C for airborne command post role, “Looking Glass”
EC-135E
Re engined EC-135N, “Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft” or “ARIA”
EC-135G
KC-135A modified for airborne national command post role.
Later performed Airborne Launch Control Centre mission with the Airborne Launch Control System.
EC-135H
KC-135A modified for airborne national command post role, “Silk Purse”
EC-135J
KC-135B modified for airborne national command post role, “Nightwatch”
EC-135K
KC-135A modified for deployment control duties, “Head Dancer”
EC-135L
KC-135A modified for radio relay and amplitude modulation dropout capability “Cover All”
EC-135N
ARIA aircraft with the so-called “droop snoot” radome housing a large parabolic telemetry gathering antenna.
EC-135J/P
KC-135A modified for airborne command post role, “Blue Eagle” and “Scope Light”
EC-135Y
NKC-135 reconfigured as C3 aircraft for Commander-in-Chief, United States Central Command
Specifications
The crew consisted of two pilots, a navigator, an airborne refuelling systems operator, and communications systems operators.