Boeing E-3A Sentry (707-300) Aircraft Data
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.
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
Power:
4 x Pratt and Whitney TF33-PW-100A turbofan at 21,500 lbf
Weapons:
The E-3A carries no offensive or defensive weapons
Dimensions:
| Length: | 152 ft. 11 in. |
| Wing Span: | 145 ft. 9 in. |
| Wing Area: | 3,050 sq.ft |
| Height: | 41 ft. 4 in. |
| Empty Weight: | 185,000 lbs |
| Max. Weight: | 344,000 lbs |
Performance:
| Max. Speed: | 530 mph |
| Service Ceiling: | 41,000 ft. |
| Normal Range: | 4,000 nm |
Random great photos of the Boeing E-3A Sentry (707-300):
