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E-6 Mercury
| E-6 Mercury | |
|---|---|
| A United States Navy E-6B at RAF Mildenhall in 2001. | |
| Type | Command and Control |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Designed by | Boeing |
| Maiden flight | February 1987 |
| Introduced | August 1989 |
| Primary user | United States Navy |
| Number built | 16 |
| Unit cost | US$141.7 million |
| Developed from | Boeing 707-320 |
The Boeing E-6 Mercury is an American military aircraft. It operates as an airborne command post and communications center, relaying instructions from the National Command Authority. Its role in relaying to the fleet ballistic missile submarines gives it the suffix TACAMO ("Take Charge and Move Out").
Contents
History
Like the E-3 Sentry AWACS, the E-6 Mecury is adapted from Boeing's 707-320 commercial airliner. Only one version of the E-6 currently exists, the E-6B. The E-6B is an upgraded version of the E-6A that now includes a battlestaff area for the USSTRATCOM Airborne Command Post and new the flight deck systems replacing the aging 1970s-style cockpit with an off-the-shelf 737 Next Generation cockpit. This greatly increases the situational awareness of the pilot and saves significant cost over a custom avionics package.
The E-6A was designed to replace the EC-130 and was accepted by the US Navy in August 1989, sixteen were delivered up to 1992. The first E-6B was accepted in December 1997 and the entire E-6 fleet was modified to the E-6B standard, with the final delivery taking place on December 1, 2006. [1]
Origins
Development
Entry into service
Design evolution
Design characteristics
Combat service
Milestones
Specifications ()
Data from Navy Fact File[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 22
- Length: 150 ft 4 in (45.8 m)
- Wingspan: 148 ft 4 in (45.2 m)
- Height: 42 ft 5 in (12.9 m)
- Wing area: ft² (m²)
- Empty weight: lb (kg)
- Loaded weight: 342,000 lb (154,400 kg)
- Useful load: lb (kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 342,000 lb (154,400 kg)
- Powerplant: 4× CFMI CFM-56-2A-2 high-bypass turbofans
- Dry thrust: lbf (kN) each
- Thrust with afterburner: lbf (kN) each
Performance
- Never exceed speed: knots (mph, km/h)
- Maximum speed: 522 knots (600 mph, 960 km/h)
- Cruise speed: knots (mph, km/h)
- Stall speed: knots (mph, km/h)
- Range: 6,600 nm (7,590 sm, 12,144 km with 6 hours loiter time)
- Service ceiling: > 40,000 ft (12,200 m)
- Rate of climb: ft/min (m/s)
- Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
Popular culture
References
- ↑ Boeing Delivers Final Upgraded E6-B to U.S. Navy. The Boeing Company (2006-12-01). Retrieved on 2007-03-04.
- ↑ The US Navy -- Fact File. US Navy. Retrieved on 2007-03-04.
External links
- E-6 MERCURY (TACAMO) at FAS website
Related content
Designation sequence
E-3 -
E-4 -
E-5 -
E-6 -
E-7 -
E-8 -
E-9
Related lists
Template:Active military aircraft of the United States
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