Curious Mission Flown Over The Baltic Sea By U.S. Air Force Nuke Sniffing Plane
The Air Force only has one Constant Phoenix jet, which is used to collect air samples that could show evidence of nuclear testing or accidents.
By Joseph Trevithick August 5, 2021
The War Zone
An Air Force WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft.
The U.S. Air Force's lone WC-135W Constant Phoenix "nuke sniffer" aircraft flew an unusual mission over the Baltic Sea today. This plane is typically used to collect air samples to monitor for spikes in radiation levels in the atmosphere, but can also be employed after nuclear weapon tests and atomic accidents to help glean more information about those events and track the potential spread of dangerous radioactive material.
The WC-135W, which has the serial number 61-2667, carried out the flight, using the callsign Jake 21, from RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom, according to flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange. Constant Phoenix aircraft have regularly used Mildenhall, which also routinely supports operations involving the Air Force's family of RC-135 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, as a staging point for missions in Europe for years.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41850/curious-mission-flown-over-the-baltic-sea-by-u-s-air-force-nuke-sniffing-plane
