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Detlef Billig |
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Pictures: |
Detlef Billig |
Fully loaded with the latest electronic monitoring these aircraft will be there where imminent armed conflicts are happen or to be expected. But even in times of peace the "Sentry" turns his rounds high in the sky and detects even the slightest movement, like the eye of an eagle.
Detlef Billig, had the unique and rare opportunity to do some close pictures, inside and outside, of this remarkable airborne electronic command post.
Already
in the sixties and seventies, the U.S. Air Force was looking for a
successor model to replace the now rather older Lockheed Constellation
EC-121 "Warning Star". Finally, there were two jet powered aircraft to
choose from: The DC-8-60 by Douglas and the B707-320 from Boeing.
After an intensive testing program with pre-series aircrafts in 1972,
Boeing was awarded the contract then. From January 1973, the official
development of the new AWACS system begun and the aircraft was given the
designation Boeing E-3A "Sentry". The most striking feature of the
"Sentry" is the hull mounted, rotating radar antenna AN/APY-2 with
a diameter of nearly 10 meters. The monitoring range of the Westinghouse
build radar reaches 460 km to 520 km.
In March 1977, then the first deliveries to the 552nd Airborne Warning
and Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma took place. The 22
aircrafts delivered were still described as "core standard".
Introduction to NATO
On 24 February 1982 the air base in Geilenkirchen, Germany received its
first Boeing E-3A, also known as NE-3A (N = NATO). Geilenkirchen is the
main horst of the 17 AWACS comprehensive unit. All seventeen aircraft
are registered in the NATO country of Luxembourg. Rarely all aircraft
can be found in Geilenkirchen. Depending on the mandate and mission,
many of the aircrafts are on duty in several other NATO Countries, such
as Waddington (UK), Greece, Turkey, Italy or even Norway.
In addition to the U.S. Air Force (33 aircrafts) and NATO (17 aircrafts)
following nations fly the Boeing E-3A in their Air Force:
USAF
NATO
Royal Air Force
Armée de l'Air
Royal Saudi Air Force
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NATO Planes |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90442, C/N 22855/945 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90443, C/N 22838/947 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90444, C/N 22839/949 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90445, C/N 22840/951 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90446, C/N 22841/953 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90447, C/N 22842/954 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90448, C/N 22843/956 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90449, C/N 22844/957 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90450, C/N 22845/959 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90451, C/N 22846/961 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90452, C/N 22847/963 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90453, C/N 22848/964 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90454, C/N 22849/966 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90455, C/N 22850/967 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90456, C/N 22851/968 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90458, C/N 22853/970 |
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Boeing E-3A |
LX-N90459, C/N 22854/971 |
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Royal Air Force |
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Boeing E-3D |
ZH101, C/N 24109/993 |
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Boeing E-3D |
ZH102, C/N 24110/996 |
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Boeing E-3D |
ZH103, C/N 24111/1004 |
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Boeing E-3D |
ZH104, C/N 24112/1007 |
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Boeing E-3D |
ZH105, C/N 24113/1010 |
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Boeing E-3D |
ZH106, C/N 24114/1011 |
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Boeing E-3D |
ZH107, C/N 24499/1012 |
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Armée de L’Air
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Boeing E-3F |
702-CA, C/N 24115/1000 (früher:36-CA) |
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Boeing E-3F |
702-CB, C/N 24116/1003 (früher:36-CB) |
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Boeing E-3F |
702-CC, C/N 24117/1006 (früher:36-CC) |
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Boeing E-3F |
702-CD, C/N 24510/1009 (früher:36-CD) |
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Royal Saudi Air Force 18. Sqn. baset at Al Kharj Prince Sultan Air Base |
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Boeing E-3A |
1801, C/N 23419/974 |
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Boeing E-3A |
1802, C/N 23418/973 |
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Boeing E-3A |
1803, C/N 23417/972 |
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Boeing E-3A |
1804, C/N 23420/976 |
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Boeing E-3A |
1805, C/N 23421/980 |
Crew and Mission
The various
missions are prepared a long time in advance and require top performance
and concentration by each crewmember.
Normally, there is a crew of 16 crew members, all of which are compiled
from the various NATO partners with the relevant expertise. A typical
crew consists of:
Flight Deck:
1 AC (Aircraft Commander)
1 FP (First Pilot)
1 FE (Flight Engineer)
1 NN (Navigator)
Mission Deck:
1 CT (Communication Technician),
1 ST (System Technician)
3 SO (Surveillance Operators)
1 SC (Surveillance Controller)
1 FA (Fighter Allocator)
2 WC (Weapons Controller)
1 PC (Passive Controller)
1 TD (Tactical Director)
1 RT (Radar Technician
Also thanks to the use of these aircrafts, the worldwide security and peace be preserved in most cases.
| Specifications | E-3A | |
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Wingspan |
Spannweite |
46,61 m |
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Length |
Länge |
44,42 m |
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Height |
Höhe |
12,70 m |
| Wing area | Flügelfläche |
283 m² |
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Engine |
Motor |
4 × Pratt and Whitney TF33-PW-100A turbofan, 21,500 lbf each |
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Maximum speed |
Höchstgeschwindigkeit |
855 km/h |
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Empty weight |
Leergewicht |
73,480 kg |
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Loaded weight |
Startgewicht |
157.397 kg |
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Climb Rate |
Steigrate |
? |
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Service ceiling |
Gipfelhöhe |
12,500 m |
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Range |
Reichweite |
7,400 km |
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Armament |
Bewaffnung |
none |
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Capacity |
Zuladung |
Crew 4, 13–19 Mission Crew |