Boeing KE-3
The Boeing KE-3 is a rare Saudi Arabian airborne early-warning and tanker derivative of the E-3 Sentry. It combines the familiar rotating radar dome of an AWACS aircraft with aerial-refuelling capability, allowing it to support fighters while monitoring regional airspace. Saudi Arabia ordered only a small fleet, making the KE-3 much less common than the standard NATO E-3. Its four-engine 707-derived airframe and rotodome make it immediately recognisable from the ground.
.jpg){kind=link}
Did you know?
Unlike the E-3 Sentry it's based on, the KE-3A carries no rotating radar dome, since it's simply a Saudi 707-based tanker and transport.
Specifications
| Length | 46.6 m (153 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 44.4 m (146 ft) |
| Height | 12.7 m (42 ft) |
| Crew | 17 |
| Range | 4,000 NM (7,408 km) |
| Maximum speed | 530 kt (982 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 42,000 ft (12,802 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 25,000 ft (7,620 m) |
| Rate of climb | 3,500 ft/min (17.8 m/s) |
| Engines | 4x Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-100A |
| Units built | 5 |
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 KE-3 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 KE-3 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.