Lockheed WV-2

Lockheed WV-2
Name	Lockheed WV-2
Caption	A Lockheed WV-2 in flight.
Type	Airborne early warning and control aircraft
Manufacturer	Lockheed Corporation
Designer	Clarence "Kelly" Johnson
First flight	1955
Introduced	1956
Retired	1976
Primary user	United States Navy
Number built	142
Developed from	Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation
Variants	Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star

Lockheed WV-2. The Lockheed WV-2, later redesignated EC-121 Warning Star, was a dedicated airborne early warning and control aircraft developed for the United States Navy during the Cold War. Derived from the commercial Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation airliner, it was a cornerstone of the United States' continental air defense network, designed to detect and track potential Soviet Union bomber threats over the oceans. Its distinctive appearance, characterized by large radar radomes and extensive electronic intelligence equipment, made it a ubiquitous sight in the skies of the 1950s and 1960s.

Design and development

The development of the WV-2 was driven by the urgent need for an extended early warning capability against the threat of Soviet Air Forces strategic bombers following the end of the Korean War. The Lockheed Corporation, under the direction of its famed Skunk Works chief Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, adapted the proven Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation airframe for this demanding role. Key modifications included the installation of two large, distinctive radomes: a ventral "football" radome housing an AN/APS-20 search radar and a dorsal "fin" radome containing an AN/APS-45 height-finding radar. The airframe was structurally reinforced to carry this heavy sensor suite and its associated UHF and VHF communication systems, and it was fitted with additional fuel tanks in the outer wings for extremely long endurance missions. The internal cabin was reconfigured to house a large combat information center staffed by a crew of radar operators, electronic warfare officers, and flight crew, totaling up to 31 personnel.

Operational history

Entering service with Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadrons in 1956, the WV-2 became the backbone of the United States Navy's Airborne Early Warning squadrons, most notably VW-1 and VW-2. Its primary mission was conducting barrier patrols, known as "Texas Tower" and "DEW Line" extensions, over the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean to provide a distant early warning picket line for North American Aerospace Defense Command. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, WV-2 aircraft played a critical role in the United States naval quarantine of Cuba, monitoring maritime and air traffic. The type also saw extensive service during the Vietnam War, where its radar and communications intelligence capabilities were used for battlefield surveillance, air traffic control over the Gulf of Tonkin, and as an airborne command post, with aircraft operating from bases like Naval Air Station Agana in Guam and Tan Son Nhut Air Base in South Vietnam.

Variants

The primary variant was the WV-2, which was redesignated EC-121 in 1962 under the United States Department of Defense's unified aircraft designation system. A specialized electronic intelligence variant, the WV-2Q (later EC-121M), was equipped with additional signals intelligence gear. The United States Air Force operated a very similar aircraft, initially designated RC-121C/D, which was also later folded into the EC-121 Warning Star family. Other variants included the WV-3 (later WC-121N), modified for weather reconnaissance duties with the United States Navy's "Hurricane Hunters."

Operators

The primary operator was the United States Navy, which flew the aircraft with its Fleet Air Reconnaissance and Airborne Early Warning squadrons. The United States Air Force operated the closely related EC-121 Warning Star with units such as the 552nd Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing. After retirement from frontline service, a small number of airframes were transferred to the United States Coast Guard for search and rescue coordination and to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for atmospheric research.

Specifications (WV-2)

* **Crew:** 22–31 * **Length:** 116 ft 2 in (35.41 m) * **Wingspan:** 126 ft 2 in (38.47 m) * **Height:** 27 ft 0 in (8.23 m) * **Empty weight:** 80,611 lb (36,565 kg) * **Max takeoff weight:** 143,600 lb (65,137 kg) * **Powerplant:** 4 × Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone 18-cylinder turbo-compound radial piston engines, 3,250 hp (2,420 kW) each * **Maximum speed:** 321 mph (517 km/h, 279 kn) * **Range:** 4,600 mi (7,400 km, 4,000 nmi) * **Service ceiling:** 20,200 ft (6,200 m) * **Radar:** AN/APS-20 (search), AN/APS-45 (height-finding)

Aircraft on display

Several retired WV-2/EC-121 airframes are preserved in museums. Examples include an EC-121T on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, and a WV-2 (BuNo 141312) at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Another aircraft is part of the collection at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

Category:Military aircraft of the United States Category:Airborne early warning and control aircraft Category:1950s United States military reconnaissance aircraft