E-6 Mercury TACAMO vs EC-135 / EC-18 ARIA
| American command-and-control aircraft, operative during the Cold War era, kept primarily for communications with U.S. nuclear forces. | |
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| Origin country | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Category | Military Special Mission Aircrafts |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| First flight | 19 February 1987 |
| Year introduced | 1989 |
| Number produced | 16 units |
| Average unit price | $141 million |
| American electronic surveillance and relay aircraft, involved largely in Cold War and Space Race-era operations. | |
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| Origin country | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Category | Military Special Mission Aircrafts |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| First flight | 1 January 1961 |
| Year introduced | 1968 |
| Number produced | 45 units |
| Average unit price | $150 million |
| Wing area | -- m² |
| Wingspan | 45.2 m ◉ |
| Height | 12.9 m ◉ |
| Length | 45.8 m ◉ |
| Maximum speed | 966 km/h ◉ |
| Operational range | 12,000 km ◉ |
| Service ceiling | 12,192 m ◉ |
| Max. takeoff weight | 155,128 kg ◉ |
| Total thrust | 4 x 11,213 kgf ◉ |
| Wing area | 223.0 m² |
| Wingspan | 31.6 m ◉ |
| Height | 12.7 m ◉ |
| Length | 43.1 m ◉ |
| Maximum speed | 927 km/h ◉ |
| Operational range | 8,300 km ◉ |
| Service ceiling | 10,058 m ◉ |
| Max. takeoff weight | 136,304 kg ◉ |
| Total thrust | 4 x 8,165 kgf ◉ |