EC-18B Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft

he Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft (ARIA - pronounced Ah-RYE-ah) were EC-135E and EC-18B aircraft used as flexible airborne telemetry data recording and relay stations. These aircraft were designed and developed to supplement land and marine telemetry stations in support of DOD and NASA space and missile programs. The ARIA have the capability to acquire, track, record, and retransmit telemetry signals, primarily in the S-band (2200-2400 MHz) frequency range. ARIA possesses a sagging and misshapen nose as its most distinguishing feature, earning it the nicknames "Droop Snoot" and "Snoopy Nose." The bird's bulbous beak is actually a 10-foot radome housing a seven-foot steerable dish antenna.