EC-135 Looking Glass
The EC-135 Looking Glass was vital to US strategic forces. Its highly trained crew and staff ensured that there was always an aircraft ready to direct bombers and missiles from the air. The EC-135 fleet was equipped with comprehensive, high-tech communications equipment, which allowed the airborne commander to link with national command authorities, theatre forces, assets on the ground and other airborne command posts.
The Looking Glass was a versatile airframe with excellent airspeed, range and endurance. It was also capable of air refueling which allowed missions to be extended almost indefinitely. This gave the aircraft range to conduct nonstop operations to any location in the world as well.
The Strategic Air Command (SAC) began the mission on February 3, 1961. Since then, a Looking Glass aircraft was in the air at all times – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. For 29 years, the EC-135 conducted continuous airborne operations, accumulating more than 281,000 accident-free flying hours – an aviation phenomenon.
On July 24, 1990, the EC-135 ceased continuous airborne alert, but remained on ground or airborne alert for 24 hours a day. On June 1, 1992, the SAC was deactivated, and the United States Strategic Command was activated. The Looking Glass became part of the new command and remained a round-the-clock, alternative command post. On September 25, 1998, the US Navy’s E-6B TACAMO aircraft officially replaced the EC-135 in performing the Looking Glass mission.
The Looking Glass has performed the flying command post mission for 37 years, serving as a survivable, nuclear response airborne platform. All EC-135 planes have been retired to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
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