"Looking Glass"

I remeber reading about a spy plane named "Looking Glass" does anyone know anything about it?

Probably not a plane named such, but rather "code named" for a time.

Yeah of course it was a code name!...it was from the cold war times....i'm guessing that no one knows much about it other than it's name

Is this it?

www.au.af.mil...

Boeing EC-135C Looking Glass

Yeah i'd say it is......cool cheers

Looking Glass is the Flying Command Center for SAC.
www.nebraskastudies.org..." target="_blank" class="postlink">Looking Glass
Looking Glass passes torch

A C-135C Speckled Trout
Looking Glass Picture

I have a picture of the VC-135 specled trout on my aviation pics website.

This was taken 2 years ago by me at Wright Patterson, AFB.

pic7.picturetrail.com...

Check out my other aviation pics:
www.picturetrail.com...

[Edited on 22-1-2004 by saber]

The movie By Dawn's Early Light with James Earl Jones revolves around the looking glass plane. The Soviets accidently nuke the U.S. with out a retalitory attack, so the looking glass plane has to give the okay for nuke usage. In the end, no more ICBMs are launched, and order is restored.

These aircraft are used even today as an airborne command post in case of nuclear attack. During the cold war these aircraft flew random routes in the midwest. They comm capibilities with all nuclear forces. They still fly from Offut AFB for practice. I have worked these aircraft from my days in Kansas city center. The last time I saw one was about 1999.

Yep, 'looking glass' is the name for EC-135s used as mobile command posts in the event of a nuclear war. My dad use to see them all the time -- they were very tightly guarded.

They also had an uber command plane called 'doomsday', if I recall correctly.

Looking Glass is the code name for the Seconday stategic airborn command post. This Mission was first flown by the US Air Force EC-135. In 1998 the mission was passed to the US Navy E-6B.
Check out this link:
Looking Glass

The Primary Airborn Command Post is called the National Emergency Airborn Command Post (NECAP) or National Airborn Operation Center, and is Flown by a USAF E-4
See:
E-4

hope that helps.

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignoance

well im not sure about what your talking about, but its definitely an allusion to Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass" the sequel to "Alice in Wonderland" and equaly crazed but great.

The term "Looking Glass" was selected by SAC as an indicator of the aircrafts' function to mimic the SAC Underground Command Post which is located under SAC HQ at Offutt AFB, NE. From Feb 21 1961 to around 1990-91 time frame, looking flew around the clock in one of several designated areas. At the early 90 timeframe, Looking Glass on put on hard alert, ground alert to all. It stayed there until retire as an USAF airframe [most of the aircraft with from the early 60's.] At the time the USN took over Looking Glass duty with the new Tacamo built E6 [same basic frame as the EC-135C new engines, etc.] Now, instead of a USAF crew of battlestaff and communicators, the mixed battlestaff has a joint staff on the four major Armed forces [USAF, USN, USA and USMC (No USCG that I am aware of).] I had the pleasure of accumulating over 1800 flight hours on the original EC1-135C airframe during the early 80's. Take Care all!!

Just one quick note about the E-6! In 1992 the E-6 took over the Airbourn Command Post mission from the EC-135 when the mission was passed to US Strategic Command. According to the Public Information office of US STRATCOM, the E-6 picked up the LOOKING GLASS name. So officially the aircraft is listed as the E-6B Looking Glass.

Tim
Director of Counter-Ignorance

E-6 is usually referred to as TACAMO in my experience. "For TAke Charge And Move Out". Although, correctly it forms only part of the TACAMO system. The E-6 is officially the "Mercury".

Haven't heard the Looking Glass moniker, or indeed the European theatre equivalent Silk Purse used since the USAF stood down from the Strategic Control role.... sometime round '99 I think.

I saw this aircraft alot of times while I was still living in Council Bluffs, IA.

An airforce base near Omaha Nebraska had 1 stationed, I was wondering what it was since it seemed similar to Airforce One..

[edit on 1/12/2004 by GrOuNd_ZeRo]