High Gallery
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U. S. Military Aircraft
Boeing E-4 National Airborne Operations Center Photo by Coil B. Thouanel |
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In the late 1960s the US Air Force decided that it needed six examples of an AABNCP (Advanced Airborne Command Post) plane with greater endurance than the Boeing EC-135. This was intended to survive the first exchanges of a nuclear war and provide a command facility as well as a communication capability between the national command authority and US strategic forces, both conventional and nuclear. The platform selected was the Model 747-200B version of the civil "jumbo jet". In July 1973 the U. S. A. F. contracted for three E-4As with command and communication equipment stripped from EC-135s and updated by E-Systems. Three entered service in 1974/75 as National Emergency Airborne Command Post with in-flight refueling capability, shielding against nuclear radiation, and enormously comprehensive communication systems. In December 1974 a fourth plane was order as the E-4B with more advanced equipment, and the three E-4As have been upgraded to this standard. |
TECHNICAL DATA
| Description | Specifications |
| Manufacturer: Boeing | Length: 231 ft. 4 in. |
| Date Deployed: 1974/75 | Height: 63 ft. 5 in. |
| Model: E-4A | Wing Span: 195 ft. 8 in. |
| Crew: Eight | Wing Area: 5,500.0 sq. ft. |
| Nickname: | Empty Weight: |
| Basic Role: Advanced airborne national command post plane. | Max. Weight: 800,000 lb. |
| Other Versions: E-4A: initial model, E-4B: upgraded mod. | Payload: Up to 86 command and communication personnel on two decks. |
| Principal User: U. S. A. |
Propulsion |
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Performance |
Power Plant: General Electric F103-GE-100 turbofans. |
| Range: Endurance 72 hours with in-flight Refueling. | Horsepower: 52,500-lb thrust. |
| Max. Speed: 602 mph. | No. Of Engines: Four |
| Ceiling: 45,000 ft. | |
| Climb Rate: |