1/72 U.S. Army EC-121 Warning Star

Description

This is an injection-plastic aircraft model kit.

Lockheed’s EC-121 Warning Star, a military variant of the Super Constellation 1049 airliner and precursor to Boeing’s current E-3 Sentry/AWACS, served as a radar surveillance aircraft for the US Navy and US Air Force from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s.
Initially ordered by the Navy, with 244 units, it entered service as the PO-2W, later designated WV-2 in 1954, and finally renamed EC-121 in 1962.
The US Air Force ordered 82 aircraft, taking 72 from the Navy’s initial order.
Known as “Willie Victor” among Navy pilots and “Connie” (short for Constellation) in the Air Force, the Warning Star played a crucial role in fleet coverage through its Distant Early Warning (DEW) system.
The US Air Force deployed these planes in Vietnam, where one EC-121 guided an American fighter jet to successfully intercept a North Vietnamese MiG 21 over the Gulf of Tonkin in October 1967-a landmark achievement as the first successful airborne-controlled attack.
EC-121s were also utilized for electronic signals intelligence collection, support for the Apollo space program, and various coordination operations for the armed forces.

Parts: 105 pieces
Size: 492 x 521 mm