The NASA DC-8 aircraft is a four-engine jet with a range in excess of 5000 nautical miles (9,200 Kilometers), a ceiling of 41,000 feet (12,500 meters), and an experimental payload of 30,000 lbs. (13,600 kilograms). The aircraft is managed by the Airborne Science Program at Dryden Flight Research Center.

The NASA P-3B aircraft is a four-engine turboprop with a range of 3000 nautical miles, a ceiling of 28,000 feet, and an experimental payload of 15,000 lbs. The aircraft is managed by the Aircraft programs Branch at the Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility.