What is an EP-3 plane?
What is an EP-3 plane?
The EP-3E Aries II is a land-based Multi-Intelligence reconnaissance aircraft based on the P-3 Orion airframe. The EP-3 aircraft in the Navy’s inventory provide fleet and theater commanders worldwide with near real-time tactical SIGINT and full motion video intelligence.
How much does an EP-3 cost?
Primary Function: Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) reconnaissance aircraft. Contractor: Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems Company. Unit Cost: $36 million.
Does the US Navy have bombers?
Combat planes include fighter jets, bombers, and other aircraft equipped with armaments. Fighters are designed to destroy enemy aircraft during air-to-air combat. They typically offer superior maneuverability and speeds compared to other aircraft. The US Navy currently uses the F-35 and the F-18E for combat roles.
How many fighter jets does US Navy have?
It is estimated that the U.S. Navy will have a total of 1,057 strike fighters in FY 2021, slightly lower than the 1,069 strike fighters they maintained in FY 2019. These values include active and reserve aircraft from both the Navy and Marines inventories.
How many warplanes does the US have?
The United States of America maintains the strongest Air Force in the world by an impressive margin. As of 2020, the United States Air Force (USAF) is composed of 13,264 aircraft and employs a total personnel of over 462,000.
What happened to the US Navy EP-3 spy plane?
The Navy spy plane downed after colliding with a Chinese fighter jet took its first test flight on 15 Novmber 2002, 16 months after it was shipped back to the United States in pieces. The Navy conducted studies to possibly replace the EP-3 aircraft with its future Multi-Mission Manned Aircraft (MMA).
How many people are on a Navy EP-3E plane?
The Navy has 11 EP-3Es, the last of which was delivered in 1997. The plane generally has a crew of 24, including linguists, cryptographers and technicians. The EP-3E that flew over the South China Sea carried an 18-member reconnaissance team from the Navy, Marines, and Air Force, in addition to a 6-member flight crew.
What does an EP-3E do?
The small force of EP-3E electronic warfare and reconnaissance aircraft is in constant demand by fleet and theater commanders worldwide. Forward deployed to meet critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance collection requirements, EP-3Es detect, interpret and report tactically significant communication and radar signals.
What kind of aircraft is the Lockheed EP-3?
Lockheed EP-3. Jump to navigation Jump to search. Signals reconnaissance aircraft of the US Navy. The Lockheed EP-3 is the signals reconnaissance version of the P-3 Orion, operated by the United States Navy.
