Lockheed NC-121K Warning Star

Lockheed Corporation · United States · first flew 1943 · transport aircraft

The NC-121K Warning Star is a permanently modified example of the Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star, itself an airborne early warning variant of the Constellation, used for specialised test or research programmes.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	4 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	35.41 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Permanently modified Constellation used for special test missions
Four radial piston engines on distinctive triple-tail Constellation
N-prefix marks permanent non-standard modification

Unmistakable triple-finned tail and dolphin-shaped fuselage of the Constellation family; four large radial engines in long nacelles and the distinctive humped fuselage cross-section are definitive recognition features.

Specifications

The Lockheed NC-121K Warning Star has a length of 35.41 m (116 ft).
It has a wingspan of 37.49 m (123 ft).
Its maximum speed is 555 km/h (345 mph).
Typical crew: Variable mission crew.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The EC-121 Warning Star served as the US military's primary airborne early warning platform through the 1950s and 1960s, derived from the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation. Aircraft substantially modified for experimental purposes and unable to be restored to standard configuration received the NC prefix.

Variants

The Warning Star family includes the EC-121C through EC-121T; the NC-121K prefix indicates a K-variant airframe that underwent a permanent special modification.

Where you'll see it

Individual NC-121K aircraft supported US military research; the EC-121 Warning Star is long retired from all service.

Related aircraft

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