Description
NKC-135 Argus Model
Fly Big Crow again in this handcrafted NKC-135 model. Each piece is carved from wood and handpainted to provide a piece you’ll love.
- Length – 18 inches
- Made from Mahogany
- US Veteran Owned Business
The Boeing NC-135 and NKC-135 are special versions of the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker modified to operate on several different programs.
Big Crow is the designation of the two NKC-135 test-bed aircraft (55-3132 and 63-8050) heavily modified for electronic warfare testing. These planes were also used as a target simulator for flight testing the Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser.[5] On March 15, 2007, the YAL-1 successfully fired this laser in flight, hitting its target. The target was the NKC-135E Big Crow 1 test aircraft that had been specially modified with a “signboard” target on its fuselage. The test validated the system’s ability to track an airborne target and measure and compensate for atmospheric distortion.[6]
Big Crow aircraft are also used as downrange telemetry assets in conjunction with Western Launch and Test Range launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.[7]
Since 2008, 55-3132 and 63-8050 have been retired, and relegated to the AMARG (Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ.[8][9]
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