Summary
- WC-135 Constant Phoenix collects atmospheric nuclear samples worldwide for US surveillance missions.
- The aircraft's sensors detect radioactive "clouds" in real-time, fulfilling critical national security roles.
- Originally developed in 1965, the US Air Force operates a fleet of three new WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft.
The WC-135 Constant Phoenix is another reminder of the United States Air Force's many unique capabilities (and why it is considered the world's top air force). It is a special-purpose aircraft that collects samples from the atmosphere to detect and identify nuclear explosions.
For the duration of the Cold War, Constant Phoenix collected information about nuclear weapons testing and nuclear disasters around the world. Today, the US Air Force operates a fleet of three new WC-135 aircraft built from the KC-135 Stratotanker.
WC-135 Constant Phoenix nuclear watchdogs
The WC-135 Constant Phoenix is informally referred to as "the sniffer" and the "weather bird." They enable the United States to know what nuclear testing and nuclear disasters are happening in the world.
All too often, it is showy aircraft like the F-22 Raptor and the B-21 Raider that capture the headlines, but the Air Force has plenty of other aircraft quietly fulfilling critical roles in the background.
Photo: US Air Force
"The WC-135W Constant Phoenix atmospheric collection aircraft supports national level consumers by collecting particulate and gaseous effluents and debris from accessible regions of the atmosphere in support of the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963." - Air Force
The WC-135 Constant Phoenix was developed from the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter and modified to carry an onboard atmospheric collection suite. These sensors allow the crew to detect radioactive "clouds" in real-time.
WC-135 Constant Phoenix | |
|---|---|
Role: | Air sampling and collection for nuclear explosions |
Power Plant: | 4x Pratt & Whitney TF33-P9 turbofans |
Number in inventory: | 3 (delivered 2022-2023) |
Max take-off weight: | 300,500 lbs |
Unit cost: | unavailable |
Crew: | Varies with mission |
The WC-135s are flown by the crew of the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron, which is based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. The special equipment operators are assigned to Det. 1, Air Force Technical Applications Center, at the same base.
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1
A Brief History of Constant Phoenix
The Constant Phoenix's origins date back to the beginning of the nuclear age in 1947 when then-General Dwight D. Eisenhower commissioned the Constant Phoenix program to detect atomic explosions anywhere in the world.
Photo: US Air Force
In 1949, a WB-29 Constant Phoenix defected nuclear debris from the Soviet Union's first atomic test while flying between Alaska and Japan. This came as a shock as it had been thought the Soviets wouldn't be able to test a nuclear bomb until the mid-1950s. From then on, the Soviets and Americans were locked in a nuclear race.
Among other things, they went on to play a major role in tracking radioactive debris from the Soviet Union's Chornobyl nuclear plant disaster. More recently, they have monitored North Korea's nuclear tests and the f*ckushima nuclear disaster in Japan.
The WC-135s began replacing older WB-50s in 1965. Ten WC-135s were originally built (from converted C-135B transport aircraft). By the 2010s, these aircraft were aging, and the conversion of three KC-135R tanker aircraft for the modern WC-135s was announced in 2018.
The first was delivered in 2022. The other two were delivered in 2023. Today, the aircraft support the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963, which prohibits countries from conducting above-ground nuclear weapons testing.
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Constant Phoenix fleet & other special mission Air Force aircraft
The Air Force states three WC-135Cs are in its inventory. However, this doesn't appear to be updated to include the third aircraft delivered in December 2023.
The Air Force has a fleet of three WC-135Cs in service bearing the tail numbers 64-14836, 64-14831, and 64-14829. It was considered cheaper to convert retired KC-135 tankers than to rebuild the old aircraft. The aircraft were built from retired KC-135 tankers taken from the boneyard.
Photo: USAF
Notable special mission US Aircraft: | Role: | Built from: |
|---|---|---|
WC-135 Constant Phoenix: | Atmosphere testing related to nuclear incidents | KC-135 Stratotankers |
WC-130J Weatherbird: | Weather reconnaissance | C-130 Hercules |
E-4 Nightwatch (Doomsday planes): | Airborne strategic command and control post | Boeing 747-200B |
Boeing VC-25: | Presidential transport | Boeing 747-200B |
Boeing C-32: | VIP transport, special operations | Boeing 757 |
EC-130H Compass Call (being replaced by EA-37B): | Electronic warfare, SEAD | C-130 Hercules |
The Constant Phoenix should not be confused with other nuclear-related aircraft the Air Force operates, like the famous "Doomsday Planes." The Doomsday planes (properly the E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post "Nightwatch") function as emergency airborne command posts for the President and Joint Chiefs in the event that the US comes under nuclear attack or another such emergency.
They are modified from Boeing 747-200Bs. Work has begun to replace them with Boeing 747-8s.
Photo: Mike Mareen l Shutterstock
The US Air Force also operates a fleet of WC-130J weather reconnaissance aircraft (built from a modified C-130 Hercules). These aircraft are used for meteorological missions, providing advance warning of possible hurricanes and increasing the accuracy of hurricane predictions and warnings by as much as 30%.
The WC-130 is the only other type of aircraft in US Air Force service to be designated as weather reconnaissance aircraft.
