E-6 Mercury

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E-6 Mercury
A United States Navy E-6B at RAF Mildenhall in 2001.
Description
Role
Crew	22
Dimensions
Length	45.8 m
Wingspan	45.2 m
Height	12.9 m
Wing area
Weights
Empty
Loaded	154,400 kg
Maximum take-off
Powerplant
Engines	Four CFMI CFM-56-2A-2 high-bypass turbofans
Power
Performance
Maximum speed	960 km/h
Combat range
Ferry range
Service ceiling	12,200 m
Rate of climb
Armament
Guns
Bombs

The Boeing E-6 Mercury is a United States of America military aircraft. It operates as an airborne command post and communications centre, relaying instructions from the National Command Authority. Its role in relaying to the fleet ballistic missile submarines gives it the suffix TACAMO ("Take Charge and Move Out").

Like the E-3 Sentry AWACS and KC-135 tanker aircraft, the E-6 Mecury is adapted from Boeing's 707-300 commercial airliner. Only one version of the E-6 currently exists, the E-6B. The E-6B is an upgraded version of the E-6A that now includes a battlestaff area for the USSTRATCOM Airborne Command Post and new the flight deck systems replacing the aging 1970s-style cockpit with an off-the-shelf Boeing 737NG cockpit. This greatly increases the situational awareness of the pilot and saves significant cost over a custom avionics package.

The E-6A was designed to replace the EC-130 and was accepted by the US Navy in August 1989, sixteen were delivered up to 1992. The first E-6B was accepted in December 1997 and the entire E-6 fleet was modified to the E-6B standard.

E-6B