Offutt Air Force Base has recently received the second of three refurbished WC-135R surveillance aircraft, commonly known as “nuke-sniffers”. Tail number 64-14831 arrived at the base after being converted by defense contractor L3Harris under the supervision of the U.S.Air Force’s “Big Safari” program. The new aircraft is part of the 55th Wing’s mission to detect atmospheric radiation, particularly from events such as North Korean weapons tests or nuclear submarine bases in the Russian Arctic, in support of the 1963 Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
