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Nuclear monitoring "sniffer" plane arrives in Europe

Jul 2, 2023

The United States has deployed a rare WC-135 Constant Phoenix radioactive contamination monitoring aircraft to Europe. This is evidenced by data from air travel tracking services. The task of the special board, which is also called a "sniffer", is to take atmospheric air samples and monitor radioactive emissions.

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It is noted that the plane has already landed in the UK. The WC-135 Constant Phoenix is mainly deployed in the area of the Korean Peninsula. However, it is sometimes deployed to other locations. The last time such an aircraft was in the UK was in August 2021.

The purpose for which the WC-135 Constant Phoenix arrived in the country is unknown.

The WC-135 Constant Phoenix is a special purpose aircraft of the United States Air Force. It was developed by the American company Boeing on the basis of the C-135 transport aircraft. The aircraft can detect and identify contamination caused by nuclear weapons testing. Currently, only one WC-135W (tail number 61-2667) is in use.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 02/07/2023

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