The U.S. Air Force is partnering with Boeing to develop a new variant of the company’s E-7 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to replace the 31 Cold War-era E-3 Sentry AWACS early warning aircraft. I made a deal.
Based on a Boeing 707, the E-3 Sentry entered service in 1977 and served as a flight observation and command center during the Cold War, being part of air fleets such as the United States, Great Britain, France and NATO. Detecting enemy aircraft, each Sentry boasts the ability to monitor air traffic in an area the size of Poland.
It was the underlying concept that helped NATO avoid unpleasant surprises, but after nearly half a century, the E-3 is obsolete and will be phased out over the next 20 years. The purchase of the as-yet-undeveloped E-7 variant, based on a decision made by the U.S. government in 2018, marks the beginning of the end for the Air Force E-3 Sentry.
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The E-7 was developed in the 1990s for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as the E-7A Wedgetail. Based on the Boeing 737 commercial airliner, the most obvious difference from the E-3 is a huge rotating radar dome that sticks out like a fin from the top of the fuselage and a fixed active electronically scanned array that includes a Northrop Grumman Multi. It has been replaced with a radar antenna. -role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) sensor.
This new radar not only helps make the E-7 lighter than its predecessor, it also tracks multiple air and sea threats simultaneously in 360 degrees. It also enables flexible command and control of friendly forces on land, sea and air through network connectivity for real-time analysis and targeting. Additionally, it features an open architecture software design for rapid upgrades as technology improves.
Powered by two CFM International CFM56-7B27A turbofans, the E-7 has a wingspan of 117 feet (35 m), a maximum takeoff weight of 171,000 pounds (77,600 kg) and a range of 4,000 miles (6,500 km). 530 mph (853 km/h) speed. Inside, there are stations for two flight her crew and up to 10 mission specialists.
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According to Boeing, the E-7 is based on the 737 and is already in service with air forces around the world, and once the variant is complete, it will have enough production lines and lines to reliably support the U.S. Air Force’s necessary logistical supply lines. Global service centers have already been established. Manufactured to American specifications.
“The E-7 is a proven platform,” said Stu Voboril, vice president and general manager of the E-7 program. “It is the only advanced aircraft capable of meeting the U.S. Air Force’s short-term airborne early warning and control requirements while enabling the integration of the entire joint force.”
Source: Boeing
