Boeing JE-3 Sentry
The Boeing E-3 Sentry, in this Japanese-operated configuration, is an airborne early warning and control aircraft built on the 707 airframe, identifiable by its large rotating radar dome mounted above the fuselage. That radar lets it track aircraft over a wide area and coordinate fighters and other assets from the air, acting as a flying command post. Japan operates its own fleet of these aircraft to monitor the airspace around its territory. Like other E-3 operators, continuous systems upgrades have kept the underlying 1970s-era airframe relevant for modern air defence duties.
Did you know?
Only 68 E-3 Sentries were ever built, and Japan flies its small fleet as a wholly national asset outside NATO's jointly crewed E-3A component.
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 | 151.9 t |
| Range | 4,000 NM (7,408 km) |
| Maximum speed | 460 kt (852 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 29,000 ft (8,839 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 27,000 ft (8,230 m) |
| Rate of climb | 3,500 ft/min (17.8 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 Pratt & Whitney TF33 |
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 JE-3 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 JE-3 Sentry family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.
Browse all aircraft types, or learn to tell Airbus from Boeing.