Equipped with a steerable seven-foot antenna dish in its distinctive "Droop Snoot" or "Snoopy Nose", the EC-135N A/RIA became operational in January 1968, and was often known as the " Jimmy Durante" of the Air Force. In a joint project, NASA and the DoD contracted with the McDonnell Douglas and the Bendix Corporations to modify eight Boeing C-135 Stratolifter cargo aircraft into EC-135N Apollo / Range Instrumentation Aircraft (A/RIA). The Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft are EC-135Bs, modified C-135B cargo aircraft and EC-18B (former American Airlines 707-320) passenger aircraft that provided tracking and telemetry information to support the US space program in the late 1960s and early 1970s.ĭuring the early 1960s, NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) needed a very mobile tracking and telemetry platform to support the Apollo space program and other unmanned space flight operations. Missions Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft 1.1 Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft.The designation for dedicated military versions is EC-635. The PW-206 powered model is designated EC-135P-1, the EC-135T-1 has the Arrius 2B1. German certification was granted on June 14 1996, while US approval was given on July 31 that year, the same day as the first customer delivery. The combination of the BO-108 and the Fenestron led to the definitive EC-135 flying for the first time on February 15 1994. However the formation of Eurocopter (in January 1992) gave the program access to Aerospatiale's Fenestron shrouded tail rotor technology which was then incorporated into the design. The success of the BO-108 test program led to MBB's announcement in January 1991 that it would develop a production 108 with Arrius or PW-206 engines as a replacement for the BO-105, with certification planned for 1994 and deliveries in 1995. The first BO-108 was powered by Allison 250-C20R3 turboshafts and flew on October 15 1988. The original MBB BO-108 was intended as a high technology helicopter demonstrator, and as such incorporated a range of high technology features including a hingeless main rotor (Sikorsky and Boeing adopted this design for their military RAH-66 Comanche), all composite bearingless tail rotor, shallow transmission (allowing greater cabin height) with special vibration absorbers, composite structures, improved aerodynamics, modern avionics and EFIS instrumentation.
The EC-135 is intended as a replacement for Eurocopter's successful BO-105 light twin, and is developed from the BO-108 technology demonstrator.
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