Boeing RC-135W

2 aircraft

The RC-135, America's premier signals intelligence reconnaissance aircraft, has conducted continuous electronic surveillance missions for over six decades. First flown in August 1956 as the base C-135 airframe, it was a four-engine jet aircraft specifically modified for long-range reconnaissance operations with a crew of 27 personnel. Measuring 41.1 meters in length with a 39.9-meter wingspan, the aircraft achieved a maximum speed of 581 miles per hour. Boeing Aircraft Company produced 32 RC-135 variants between 1961 and the early 1960s.