Boeing E-97 AEW

[McColm]

We know that three Boeing B-29 Superfortresses were used by the USAF as experimental development aircraft for picket duties using the AN/APS -20C radar carried in a modified radome above the fuselage. Which resulted in the Lockheed EC-121K Warning Star.
 What if the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter had been chosen instead of the B-29. At the time they in high demand as cargo and refuelling tankers. The preproduction models were available.
Arguments about the altitude and speed requirements not met could have been resolved as the KC-97L was fitted with a pair of jet pods and the YC-97J was test flown with YT34-P-5 engines even an Advanced Model was proposed along with the Model 367 series.
 The British Air Staff had the Stratofreighter down for the AEW back in 1945, fitted with three separate antennae in as a fore-and-aft scanner system with a forth set fitted in the tail.
Where as the Lockheed EC-121K Warning Star in the earlier examples had the AN/APS-20S search radar carried underneath the fuselage and the AN/APS-45 height finding radar fitted above the fuselage. Updated to the AN/APS-95 and AN/APS-103.
 Taking this one step further the mushroom shaped radome on the Grumman E-1B also housed the AN/APS-20S enlarged version AN/APS-82 and the later AN/APS-120 on the Grumman E-2C.
Turboprop engines would have replaced the radials by the time the AN/APS-120 was fitted on a rotating rotodome either on a retractable stand or on top of the vertical tail fin.
 
The build will be based on the Academy Boeing C-97 or KC-97 model kit. I do have a spare rotodome from a E-2C Hawkeye and two LACI Allison 501 turboprop conversion sets ordered.