| Manufactuer: |
The Boeing Aerospace Company |
| Airframe: |
Modified Boeing 707-320B |
| Power plant: |
Four Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-100A turbofan engines. |
| Thrust: |
21,000 pounds (9,450 kilograms) each engine. |
| Length: |
145 feet, 6 inches |
| Wingspan: |
145 feet, 9 inches |
| Height: |
41 feet, 4 inches |
| Radar: |
The distinctive black and white, 30-foot rotating dome mounted above the modified Boeing 707 airframe gives AWACS its signature sillouete. Two antennas are housed inside the dome, one for the primary radar system and the other for the identification-friend-or-foe (IFF) system. The beams from these radars can extend for 385 miles, allowing controllers to see down to surface to detect ships and low-flying planes and into the stratosphere to detect missiles. The radars can be operated in more than six modes, depending on the situation. |
| Nicknames: |
"Sentry"; "Eyes of the Eagle" |
| Primary function: |
Airborne surveillance; command, control and communication; detects and tracks fixed-wing aircraft at all altitudes against both land and sea backgrounds; detects and tracks maritime surface vessels; will direct friendly aircraft against enemy aircraft before they reach their ordnance release points. |
| Delivery: |
First aircraft delivered in March 1977, last in July 1984 |
| Rotodome: |
30 feet in diameter, 6 feet thick, mounted 11 feet above the fuselage. |
| Maximum fuel weight: |
155,448 pounds |
| Maximum takeoff weight:
| 335,000 pounds |
| Maximum speed: |
In excess of 500 mph (Mach .78) |
| Aircraft Ceiling: |
More than 35,000 feet |
| Operating Altitude: |
29,000 to 31,000 feet |
| Endurance: |
11 hours without refueling, 22 hours refueled (engine oil limitations) |
| Range: |
More than 5,750 miles |
| Detection speed: |
Targets moving at greater than 80 mph |
| Radar range: |
260 miles on low altitude targets and 385 miles on medium/high-altitude targets |
| Armament: |
None |
| Crew size: |
17-25 crew members (four member flight crew, 13-21 member mission crew) |
| Number of AWACS in U.S.: |
33 in fleet - 32 operated by the Air Force, one by Air Force's Electronic Systems Division at Boeing Aerospace Co., Seattle |
| Number of E-3 AWACS in the world: |
66 (United States,33; NATO, 17; United Kingdom, 7; France, 4; Saudi Arabia, 5) |
| Additional Information: |
Northrop Grumman's AWACS RSIP Fact Sheet |
