E3A Awacs Sentry NATO
| Model manufacturer: | Inflight 200 |
| Order code: | IFE3A37 |
| Scale: | 1:200 |
| Material: | Combined (Metal / Plastic) |
| Weight: | 0.9 kg |
| Registration number: | LX-90459 |
| Dimensions: | 23.3×22.2×6.3 cm (L×W×H) |
| Air company: | NATO |
| Aircraft manufacturer: | Boeing |
Product description
High-quality metal model of the E3A Awacs Sentry military aircraft in a detailed design based on the real model. The package includes a stand and landing gear. The model is packed in a paper box.
The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. The E-3 is commonly known as the AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System). It is derived from the Boeing 707 transport aircraft and provides surveillance, command, control and communications in all weather conditions and is used by the United States Air Force, NATO, the French Air and Space Forces, the Royal Saudi Air Force and the Chilean Air Force. The E-3 has a distinctive rotating radar dome (rotodome) above the fuselage. Production ended in 1992 after 68 aircraft were built.
In the mid-1960s, the United States Air Force (USAF) was looking for 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 selected Boeing to build two airframes to test competing radars from Westinghouse Electric and Hughes. Both radars used pulse-Doppler technology, with the Westinghouse design winning the contract. Testing of the first production E-3 began in October 1975.
The first USAF E-3 was delivered in March 1977, and a total of 34 aircraft were built over the next seven years. E-3s were also purchased by NATO, the United Kingdom, France, and Saudi Arabia. In 1991, when the last aircraft was delivered, the E-3s participated in the Persian Gulf War, playing a key role in directing coalition aircraft against Iraqi forces.
The aircraft was also the last of the Boeing 707 derivatives after 34 years of continuous production. The aircraft's capabilities have been maintained and improved through numerous upgrades. In 1996, the Westinghouse Electric Defense and Electronic Systems Division was acquired by Northrop Corporation and then renamed Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, which currently supports the E-3 radar. In April 2022, the US Air Force announced that the Boeing E-7 is set to replace the E-3 starting in 2027.
