AWACs and E‐3S
AWACs and E‐3S.The AWACS—for Airborne Warning and Control System—is a specialized military aircraft intended for long‐range air surveillance and control. Development of the AWACS—more specifically known as the Boeing E‐3 Sentry—began in 1961, as the latest in a long line of previous radar‐equipped early warning aircraft. But unlike these earlier aircraft, intended primarily to operate over the ocean, the E‐3 was to operate over land and in much more integrated fashion with supporting fighter aircraft. These two requirements demanded refinements in radar development and communications far beyond what had been expected of earlier airborne warning aircraft.
Airborne warning aircraft were first developed as a response to the threat of Japan's kamikaze attackers of the later Pacific War. The U.S. Navy acquired a small number of Boeing B‐17 Flying Fortresses,...
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