Boeing E-3D Sentry
The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an airborne early warning and control aircraft, built on a 707 airframe and instantly recognisable by the large rotating radar dish, or 'rotodome', mounted above its fuselage. That radar can detect and track aircraft at great distances, letting it act as a flying command centre coordinating fighters and other military aircraft over a wide area. Several NATO members and allied air forces operate the type as a shared or national early-warning asset. Despite its 1970s origins, continuous avionics upgrades have kept it in frontline service for decades.
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Did you know?
The RAF retired its E-3D Sentry fleet in September 2021, later replacing the AWACS role with the newer Boeing E-7 Wedgetail.
Specifications
| Length | 46.6 m (153 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 44.4 m (146 ft) |
| Height | 12.7 m (42 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 80 |
| Persons on board | 17 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 147.2 t |
| Range | 5,000 NM (9,260 km) |
| Maximum speed | 460 kt (852 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 29,000 ft (8,839 m) |
| Rate of climb | 2,500 ft/min (12.7 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 2,500 m (8,202 ft) |
| Landing distance | 1,100 m (3,609 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 90,000 l |
| Engines | 4x CFM International CFM56 |
| Units built | 7 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Boeing E-3D Sentry starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Boeing, the E-3D Sentry family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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