Heller 80311 LOCKED EC 121 WARNING START

The Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star was a US Cold War early warning and surveillance aircraft. The drive was provided by four engines Wright R-3350 Cyclone 3400 hp each. The first flight of this machine took place in October 1949. In the years 1953-1958 serial production took place, which led to the creation of about 230 aircraft of this type. The machine did not have a permanent on-board armament.

The EC-121 Warning Star was the first true mass-produced early warning aircraft in the history of aviation. The demand for such machines was submitted by the USAAF and the US Navy shortly after the end of World War II, and due to the avant-garde (at that time) of the entire project, the machine did not enter production until 1953. In order to shorten the research and development time, it was decided to adapt the Lockheed Super Constellation transport plane to the new needs. It was modernized mainly by adding a very extensive avionics and radars: search (AN / APS-95) and air (AN / APS-103). During its long service, which lasted until 1982, the machine was modernized and various electronic solutions were tested on it. The only user of these planes was the United States.