Airborne surveillance and command, control, communications (C3) aircraft.
The Boeing E-3A 'Sentry' Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) is one of the most recognizable shapes in the sky. The E-3's job is to monitor the airspace around USAF/NATO areas of operation. The Westinghouse AN/APY-1 RADAR allows the E-3A to scan the air for up to 250 miles over the horizon. Look-down capability for low-flying aircraft, even over the ground, and high altitude modes can detect targets well above the E-3A's service ceiling.
The E-3A is derived from the Boeing 707-300 airliner. Changes include the removal of all passenger windows, the installation of in-flight refuelling equipment, rotodome, and crew escape chute. The RADAR System Improvement Program (RSIP) has added significant capability to the USAF/NATO, RSAF, RAF and French E-3 fleets. Replacing the elderly 8-bit digital components with modern, off the shelf, computers allow the electronic components of the E-3 to be maintained easier.
The E-3 has no direct replacement in it's immediate future. The Boeing 707 is no longer in production, and the proposed E-10, was axed by the U.S. Department of Defense. The E-3's RADAR and electronic package was ported to the 767 platform for the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JASDF). The best hope the USAF has for the E-3 is to replace the engine with more economic units and to strengthen the existing airframes in the fleet.
- Country of Origin:
United States
- First Flight:
5/25/76
- Initial Service Date:
1977
- No. Built:
57
- No. In Service:
54 (approx.)
- No. of Hardpoints:
0
- Crew:
24