Boeing E-3 Sentry
| E-3 Sentry | |
|---|---|
%22%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22middle%22%20fill%3D%22%2354595d%22%20font-size%3D%2216%22%20font-family%3D%22sans-serif%22%3EAerial%20view%20port%20view%20of%20white%20jet%20aircraft%20in-flight.%20It%20has%20a%20large%20disc-like%20black%20radar%20lying%20horizontally%20above%20two%20convergent%20struts.%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) An E-3 Sentry of the United States Air Force | |
| General information | |
| Type | Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) |
National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Defense, Space & Security |
| Status | In service |
| Primary users | United States Air Force |
| Number built | 68 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1977–1992 |
Introduction date | March 1977 |
| First flight | EC-137D: 9 February 1972 E-3: 25 May 1976 |
| Retired | 2021 (RAF) |
Developed from | Boeing 707 |
The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. E-3s are commonly known as AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System). Derived from the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications, and is used by the United States Air Force, NATO, French Air and Space Force, Royal Saudi Air Force and Chilean Air Force. The E-3 has a distinctive rotating radar dome (rotodome) above the fuselage. Production ended in 1992 after 68 aircraft had been built.
In the mid-1960s, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) was seeking an aircraft to replace its piston-engined Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star, which had been in service for over a decade. After issuing preliminary development contracts to three companies, the USAF picked Boeing to construct two airframes to test Westinghouse Electric's and Hughes's competing radars. Both radars used pulse-Doppler technology, with Westinghouse's design emerging as the contract winner. Testing on the first production E-3 began in October 1975.
The first USAF E-3 was delivered in March 1977, and during the next seven years, 34 aircraft were manufactured. E-3s were also purchased by NATO (18), the United Kingdom (7), France (4) and Saudi Arabia (5). In 1991, when the last aircraft was delivered, E-3s participated in the Persian Gulf War, playing a crucial role in directing coalition aircraft against Iraqi forces.
The aircraft's capabilities have been maintained and enhanced through numerous upgrades. In 1996, Westinghouse Electric's Defense & Electronic Systems division was acquired by Northrop Corporation and renamed Northrop Grumman Mission Systems; the company supports the E-3's radar. In 2026, it was reported the E-3 was expected to remain in US service until 2035. The U.S. Air Force had planned to replace the E-3 with the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, but in 2025 intended instead to use space-based technology including the proposed Golden Dome and the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. This planned cancellation was subsequently reversed in May 2026.