The base L749 passenger model allowed for a crew of four personnel and an additional 81 passengers. Powered by four Wright 749C-18BD-1 Double Cyclone air-cooled radial engines, the aircraft could achieve top speeds of over 340 miles per hour and reach a service ceiling of up to 24,000 feet. The fuselage design was taken into account to provide for a super-refined and streamlined look with the most identifiable feature becoming the three fin tail assembly. One revolutionary design element became the use of a tricycle landing gear system that offered up passenger comfort when taxiing and landing and returned better on-ground performance as a whole.
Beyond the passenger models, the Constellation lived on in militarized electronic warfare and reconnaissance variants. The long-range capabilities and internal carrying capacity opened the series up to some specialized roles that became the PO-1 and VW-2 "Warning Star" systems that went on to become a grouping of EC-121 electronic warfare systems (Constellation systems were later redesignated to C-121). Global coverage assigned to these systems included patrols over the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in a Cold War defense role. In the end, Lockheed produced yet another winner thanks to its experience in wartime design. This time, however, the firm made its mark with a passenger transport that became a revolutionary design thanks to its long-range capability.
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