Airborne Warning and Control System

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NATO AWACS aircraft in flight. Photo credit: NATO

Beriev A-50 'Mainstay' AWACS aircraft of Russian Air Force

Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) is a radar-based electronic system designed to carry out airborne surveillance, and C2BM (command and control, battle management) functions. The "rotodome" radome system is designed and built by Boeing (Defense & Space Group) using Westinghouse (now Northrop Grumman) radar and flown on either the E-3 Sentry aircraft (Boeing 707) or more recently a modified Boeing 767. Only the Japanese Air Force has the 767 version, calling it E-767. All US and NATO E-3s are the Boeing 707.

Modern AWACS systems can detect aircraft from up to 400 km (250 miles) away, well out of range of most surface-to-air missiles except the SA-5. In air-to-air combat, AWACS systems can communicate with friendly aircraft, extend their sensor range and give them added stealth, since they no longer need their own active radar to detect threats. However, by the nature of radar, AWACS aircraft can be detected by opposing forces beyond its own detection range. This is because the outgoing pulse deteriorates in strength the further it travels. Therefore, a signal which is intended to go out and be reflected back must be strong enough to cover twice the distance between the sender and the target.

These aircraft are used by the USAF, NATO, the RAF, French Air Force,Saudi Arabia, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

The United States Air Force has an inventory of 33 E-3B and E-3C Sentry aircraft, of which one is a dedicated test bed and 32 are on active duty. The majority of the USAF E-3s are located at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Operational since 1977, the USAF Sentry fleet holds an exemplary safety record, having only lost one aircraft in Alaska, and severely damaged a NATO jet in Greece. The Alaska crash aircraft, callsign Yukla 27, Tail Number 354, crashed on takeoff from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska on September 22, 1995, after ingesting multiple Canadian Snow Geese into its engines. All 24 American and Canadian aircrew members onboard the aircraft were killed in the crash. Two memorials were erected: one at Elmendorf AFB and one at Tinker AFB. The NATO jet was severely damaged while taking off from Aktion, Greece on 14 July 1996. The aircraft struck a flock of birds during takeoff. The crew aborted the takeoff but overran the runway. None of the crew was seriously injured.

The Air Battle Manager Badge and the Weapons Director Badge are two Air Force badges which are authorized for officer and enlisted personnel (respectively) assigned to E-3 aircraft or similar C3 functions carried out on ground radar systems. USAF AWACS Air Battle Managers (ABM) are awarded wings similar to pilots and navigators.

NATO also has 17 (originally 18, but one was lost due to an accident) E-3 Sentry aircraft, stationed in Geilenkirchen, Germany. The UK possesses seven, Saudi Arabia has five, and France four additional planes.

In Soviet service, the Beriev A-50 'Mainstay' is an AWACS conversion of the standard Ilyushin Il-76 'Candid' strategic airlifter. Systems integration and radar performance are considered to be markedly inferior to the E-3^{[citations needed]}^{[neutrality disputed]}. Several foreign countries (China and India) have also used the Il-76 as the base platform for their own airborne radar needs.

Israel has developed the IAI/Elta Phalcon system, which uses an Active Electronically Scanned Array in lieu of a rotodome antenna. The Israelis have mounted the system on a Boeing platform and have sold the radar system to India and Chile. Australia, Turkey and Korea are planning to deploy versions of the AEW&C Boeing 737 variant, using the Northrop Grumman MESA (Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array) radar system. Pakistan Air Force have ordered two AWACS to be used by the |military.

Most recently they have put in service the Gulfstream G550 plane, equipped with airborne radar systems made by Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. (IAI) subsidiary Elta Systems.

Called the “Eitam”, the plane will be flown by the Nachshon squadron. It is the first of three Gulfstream G-550 AWACS to be delivered to the IAF over the next 2-3 years. Elta will install $500 million worth of the radar and command and control in the three planes, to be spread over several years. The Gulfstream G-550 planes were bought with US military aid money.

The Eitam will provide a comprehensive aerial picture of the combat zone, including identifying friend and foe aircraft, target acquisition, communications with other aircraft and with base stations. The plane’s system can handle large quantities of information in real time.

The U.S. Navy (and the armed forces of several other nations) use the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye for its Airborne Early Warning (AEW) missions, though the U.S. uses it in a shipboard role. AEW aircraft offer a limited subset of capability. The Royal Australian Air Force will take delivery of its first Boeing Wedgetail AEW aircraft in 2008. The Wedgetail is the newest aircraft of its type.