weather aircraft series by Boeing
WC-135 Constant Phoenix
The WC-135 Constant Phoenix is a special-purpose aircraft derived from the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter and used by the United States Air Force. 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" or "the sniffer" by workers on the program and international media respectively.
Summary from Wikipedia, photo via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
- Manufacturer
- Boeing
Specifications
- Cruise speed
- 300 kt
- Max speed
- 350 kt
- Range
- 3,500 nm
- Service ceiling
- 40,000 ft
- Rate of climb
- 1,500 ft/min
- Max takeoff weight
- 300,500 lb
- Powerplant
- Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-9 / CFM International F108-CF-100
- Engines
- 4
- Seats
- 33
- Length
- 139.9 ft
- Wingspan
- 130.8 ft
- Height
- 42 ft
- Number built
- 14
Specifications are approximate and may vary by variant. Compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Reference and training only. Specifications vary by variant — consult the manufacturer and the official documents.