EC-121K Warning Star

The Lockheed EC‑121K Warning Star was a variant of the Navy’s long‑range airborne early‑warning aircraft that entered service in the late 1950s. Developed from the World War II‑era Lockheed Constellation airliner, the EC‑121K incorporated a massive radome mounted atop the fuselage and a suite of AN/APS‑20 radar antennas that could detect high‑altitude aircraft and surface vessels at ranges exceeding 200 nautical miles. First delivered to the United States Air Force in 1958, the aircraft served primarily with Air Defense Command and later with Pacific Air Forces, providing continuous surveillance over the Atlantic, Pacific and Southeast Asian theaters during the Cold War. Its crew of up to ten operated sophisticated communication relays that linked interceptors, surface ships and command centers, effectively extending the reach of North American air defense networks. The EC‑121K’s durability, long‑range endurance of over ten hours, and ability to operate in adverse weather made it a workhorse for airborne command‑post, search‑and‑rescue and electronic‑intelligence missions. Although eventually supplanted by the S‑3 Viking and E‑3 AWACS, the Warning Star set the operational template for modern AEW platforms and demonstrated the strategic value of airborne radar in both peacetime and combat.

Lockheed Corporation

EC-121K Warning Star

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Design & Classification