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The EC-135 is one of several U.S. Air Force
versions of the venerable 707 airliner. The EC-135
has been taken out of service in favor of the Navy's E-6
TACAMO platform (also a 707 derivation). The EC-135
was utilized for airborne command and control of strategic
weapons systems. The alert EC-135 was known as the
Airborne Command Post or "Looking Glass" and contained
a full, although small, battle management staff. Brief
data is available here. |
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 The
E-2C is the smaller carrier borne cousin of the E-3C. The
Hawkeye is a twin-turboprop airplane which has been in service
with the U.S. Navy since 1971. For additional information: E-2C
Hawkeye AEW. Also see the Tom Clancy Guided Tour
series book
Carrier which
has a section about the E-2C. |
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 The
E-3 Sentry was developed from the 707-320B airliner and includes
an advanced airborne radar with asssociated computer processing
and communications systems. The E-3 was first deployed
in 1977. Versions are in service with NATO (the only
aircraft actually owned by the NATO organization), France,
Britain, and Saudi Arabia. A similar radar and processing
system is being sold to Japan but the aircraft platform is
Boeing's 767. For additional information: E-3C
Sentry AWACS or Boeing's
U.S. E-3C Data Sheet. |
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Does not yet exist nor will the exact plane
described in DOH be built. Book version based on Boeing 767
airframe with improved E-3 AWACS radar system. Boeing is
essentially building this plane for Japan at present but
without some of the features described in the book. According
to the Boeing
767 AWACS program web page, the first airframe was completed
in 1994, the first flight with the radome occured in August
1996, and aircrafts 1 and 2 were delivered to Japan in March,
1998. Japan will apparently receive two more E-767's in 1999. |
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 The
Prowler is now the only tactical electronic countermeasures
aircraft in the U.S. inventory. Built on an A-6 frame,
these aircraft have a crew of four and primarily provide
jamming assistance of enemy radar and communications. For
additional information: EA-6B
Prowler ECM aircraft. |
Eisenhower, U.S.S. Dwight D.
(CVN-69)
|
See
Carriers and Naval
Aircraft in this FAQ. For a complete tour of
an aircraft carrier, though, see the Tom Clancy Guided
Tour series book
Carrier. |
Enterprise, U.S.S. (CVN-65)
|
See
Carriers and Naval
Aircraft in this FAQ. For a complete tour of
an aircraft carrier, though, see the Tom Clancy Guided
Tour series book
Carrier. |
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The USS Ethan Allen and her sisters were some
of the first ballistic missile submarines. According to http://solar.rtd.utk.edu:81/~mwade/project/polaris.htm (no
longer accessible), USS Ethan Allen was the launch platform
during the testing of the Polaris SLBM. All boats of
this class have now been decommissioned. |
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 The
F-14 is a twin-engine carrier based fighter jet for the U.S.
Navy. These aircraft have been in service since 1972
and are to be replaced by the newly redesigned F-18E/F Super
Hornet by approximately 2010. Originally designed to
fire the AIM-54 Phoenix and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, the
Tomcat was subsequently upgraded and refitted to enhance
its dogfighting capabilities. It has a variable-geometry
(swing) wing. For additional information: F-14
Tomcat fighter. Also see the Tom Clancy Guided
Tour series book
Carrier which
has a section about the F-14. |
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 The
U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle is widely considered one of the
best fighter airplanes in service today even with the subsequent
development of other aircraft. The F-15 is scheduled
to serve well into the 21st Century but will be replaced
by the F-22 Raptor. The Eagle is a twin-engine one
or two seat fighter and strike aircraft. The most recent
variant, the F-15E is an all weather strike platform which
saw extensive service in the Gulf War. The F-15C is
an air superiority fighter. The Eagle is capable of
a speed of 1,500+ mph speed with an unrefueled range of up
to 1,500 miles with conformal fuel tanks. For additional
information: F-15
fighter or Boeing's
F-15 Data Sheet. Also see the Tom Clancy Guided Tour
series book
Fighter Wing which
has a section about the F-15. |
F-22 Raptor (Lightning II)
|
 The
F-22 is the evolutionary replacement to the F-15 but uses
lessons learned from the F-16, F-15, and F-117. The
F-22 is low-observable (stealthy) and has a "Supercruise" mode
enabling it to fly at Mach 1.5 for long periods of time. For
additional information: F-22
Raptor (Lightning II) fighter. |
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 A
new version, the F/A-18E/F is now in production. The
Super Hornet, as it is known, is larger, faster, and better
than the original Hornet, the F/A-18A/B/C/D. Still,
the F/A-18C/D variant will provide the majority of the aircraft
in carrier air wings for the next few decades. For
additional information: F/A-18E/F
Super Hornet strike-fighter Alternate: Boeing's
F/A-18E/F Data Sheet. |
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 The
H-53, in its MH-53, CH-53, and HH-53 variants, is a heavy
lift helicopter in service with the U.S. Air Force, U.S.
Marines, U.S. Army, and U.S. Navy. The -53 carries
a 15-30,000 pound payload depending on loadout (i.e. presence
of specialized equipment, etc.). The MH-53 is a special
operations helicopter while the CH- and HH- variants are
primarily cargo oriented. For additional information: CH-53
Super Stallion helicopter. Also see the Tom Clancy
Guided Tour series book
Marine which
has a section about the CH-53E. |
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The Harrier FRS.4 (an ASW optimized two-seater)
described in HfRO does not actually exist. The Harrier
is a jet powered single seat close air support aircraft which
has vertical take-off and landing capabilities. Also
see the Tom Clancy Guided Tour series book
Marine which
has a section about the U.S. Marine Harrier. The original
Harrier was developed by the British and the U.S. Marine
version was developed in partnership with British Aerospace. |
