Welcome to AEW World the only site on the Web dedicated to AEW Aircraft.
My name is Ian Shaw, I am a keen plastic modeller, AEW enthusiast and author on the subject. I'd like to share my passion for the history of all things AEW with you. I served for 32 years in the RAF working several times with the AWACS at RAF Waddington and observing their operations at first hand, join me in the world of AEW&C.
My book on the History of AEW&C "Beyond the Horizon - The History of AEW & C Aircraft" was released at the start of November 2014.
My name is Ian Shaw, I am a keen plastic modeller, AEW enthusiast and author on the subject. I'd like to share my passion for the history of all things AEW with you. I served for 32 years in the RAF working several times with the AWACS at RAF Waddington and observing their operations at first hand, join me in the world of AEW&C.
My book on the History of AEW&C "Beyond the Horizon - The History of AEW & C Aircraft" was released at the start of November 2014.
August 4th 2021 - Last Operational Flight of the RAF E-3D
RAF E-3D Sentry Mk.1 ZH101 landed at RAF Waddington at the end of the last operation flight of an E-3D. The Sentry has served for 30 years at RAF Waddington and has given valuable service in many Operations and conflicts. It will be replaced in RAF service by the E-7 Wedgetail the order of which has been cut from 5 to 3 airframes and is running late on its in service date. The E-7 will also not be based at the RAF's ISTAR hub but will be based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. There are various rumours that the three remaining flyable airframes have been sold to buyers as disparate as the US Navy and the Chilean Air Force, both of whom will most likely be buying them for spare parts.
RAF E-3D Sentry Mk.1 ZH101 landed at RAF Waddington at the end of the last operation flight of an E-3D. The Sentry has served for 30 years at RAF Waddington and has given valuable service in many Operations and conflicts. It will be replaced in RAF service by the E-7 Wedgetail the order of which has been cut from 5 to 3 airframes and is running late on its in service date. The E-7 will also not be based at the RAF's ISTAR hub but will be based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. There are various rumours that the three remaining flyable airframes have been sold to buyers as disparate as the US Navy and the Chilean Air Force, both of whom will most likely be buying them for spare parts.
June 2019 - Indian Navy To Acquire 10 More Ka-31 AEW Helicopters
In a recent announcement the Indian Defence Acquisition Council stated that it had approved a plan to purchase 10 additional Ka-31 AEW&C helicopters. The $518M deal will see the Indian Navy AEW&C force expand from 14 to 24 platforms based at the Hansa, Goa Air Station.
May 2019 - Russia Takes New Direction On AEW&C Platform
An artist's impression recently published by Tupolev shows that the long rumored AWACS aircraft was to be Tu-214 RA-64509 also known as the product 411.
It appears that the Russian authorities consider the new A-100 (based on the A-50) to be too expensive and a cheaper alternative has been found.
It appears that the Russian authorities consider the new A-100 (based on the A-50) to be too expensive and a cheaper alternative has been found.
22 March 2019 - Ministry of Defence confirms two of the UK’s five on-order Boeing E-7 Wedgetails will be converted commercial airliners.
In a letter to the defence select committee, Stuart Andrew, minister for defence procurement, states that only three of the aircraft will be new-build examples. “Boeing has sourced two 737NGs from the commercial market and secured a further three production slots on the Seattle production line in 2021 and 2022 to meet our needs,” he says. No details of the age or history of the two second-hand aircraft have been revealed. Modification of the airframes is due to be performed by Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge.
Modification of the first aircraft is due to start in 2021, says Andrew, with the final example to be completed in 2026. Work on each aircraft is anticipated to take around 24 months. Here we go again, why are the MOD not buying new airframes, yet again the RAF have to make do with re-purposed platforms.
RAF Finally to get E-7 Wedgetail
It was announced on 19 March 2019 by the Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson that a contract has been signed for a £1.51Billion deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft. The E-7 fleet will replace the aging current E-3D Sentry fleet and ensure the continued delivery of the UK’s Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) capability.
Gavin Williamson stated: “The E-7 provides a technological edge in an increasingly complex battlespace, allowing our pilots to track and target adversaries more effectively than ever. This deal also strengthens our vital military partnership with Australia. “We will operate the same state-of-the-art F-35 jets and world-class Type-26 warships, and this announcement will help us work even more closely together to tackle the global threats we face.”
The new fleet will be able to track multiple airborne and maritime targets at the same time, using the information it gathers to provide situational awareness and direct other assets such as fighter jets and warships. The E-7 Wedgetail is a proven aircraft that is currently in service with the Australian, South Korean and Turkish Air Forces and has been used on operations in the battle against Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
As part of the plan for a managed transition to E-7, it has been decided to reduce the existing E-3D fleet from six to four aircraft by removing the two long-term unserviceable assets from the active fleet. Doing this now will enable the Sentry Force to focus resources on providing better availability from the remaining four aircraft, to better assure the future Sentry Fleet output, including our commitments to the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force and the provision of NATO Assurance Measures missions.
Speaking following the announcement, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, said:
“Today’s announcement about the procurement of five E-7 ‘Wedgetail’ Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft is excellent news for both the RAF and wider Defence. This world-class capability, already proven with our Royal Australian Air Force partners, will significantly enhance our ability to deliver decisive airborne command and control and builds on the reputation of our E-3D Sentry Force.
“Along with Defence’s investment in other cutting-edge aircraft, E-7 will form a core element of the Next Generation Air Force, able to overcome both current and future complex threats.”
The E-7 is based on a standard Boeing 737 airliner modified to carry a sophisticated Northrop Grumman active electronically-scanned radar. This can cover four million square kilometres over a 10-hour period.
At last the rumours can now be quashed, for once the British Government appears to have made the right decision. Let’s see how long it takes the USAF to realise their E-3 fleet is outdated and buy E-7’s too.
Russia’s Aerospace Forces Boost AWACS Capability
According to Russia’s Rossiyskaya Gazeta, a government-owned daily, the fourth A-50U early warning and control aircraft (AWACS) has entered service with the Air Space Forces. This is reported as being the fourth aircraft of a total of 20 planned to be in service by the 2020s.
The Russian Defence Ministry rolled out the A-50U, the Aerospace Defence Forces' most advanced airborne AWACS aircraft, at an unidentified air base in Russia's Ivanovo region in May 2016. Equipped with modern electronic equipment, and features a longer range radar and improved data transfer capabilities.
A derivative of the A-50 AWACS aircraft, which has been in service since 1989, the U version, is said to provide all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications. It detects and identifies airborne objects, determines their coordinates and flight path data and down-links the information to command posts.
Mounted further forward on the fuselage is a canoe fairing that houses a satellite communications antenna. The A-50 is also equipped with twin flare pods to defend against heat-seeking missiles, wingtip electronic countermeasures pods, an in-flight re-fuelling probe in the nose, and a radar warning receiver. Russian sources have declared that the A50U’s length is 49.59m (152 ft 8 in), wingspan: 50.50 m (165 ft 6 in), height: 14.76 m (48 ft 5 in), wing area: 300 m² (3,228 ft²), empty weight: 75,000 kg (165,347 lb).
They also state that the A-50 carries out patrol missions at an altitude of 5,000 m to 10,000 m. The maximum flight range of the aircraft is 5,000 km and the flight endurance is seven hours 40 minutes. At a range of 2,000 km, the A-50 can remain on patrol for up to one hour 25 minutes. The aircraft is manned by five flight crew and ten mission crew who can enjoy more comfortable work conditions compared to the previous A-50 modifications, including a rest area and kitchen.
They also state that the Russian AWACS features the Shmel II radar capable of detecting a missile launch at a distance of up to 1,000 km and tracking fighters up to 400 km. In detection of maritime objects, both systems track objects to the horizon. The radar is said to be able to track 300 targets simultaneously, providing guidance for 40 fighter aircraft.
The A-50U is only an interim AWACS design to serve until the A-100 Premier reaches initial operational capability. The Premier’s radar will use an active phased array antenna, rather than the passive phrased array system installed on the A-50.
The Russian Defence Ministry rolled out the A-50U, the Aerospace Defence Forces' most advanced airborne AWACS aircraft, at an unidentified air base in Russia's Ivanovo region in May 2016. Equipped with modern electronic equipment, and features a longer range radar and improved data transfer capabilities.
A derivative of the A-50 AWACS aircraft, which has been in service since 1989, the U version, is said to provide all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications. It detects and identifies airborne objects, determines their coordinates and flight path data and down-links the information to command posts.
Mounted further forward on the fuselage is a canoe fairing that houses a satellite communications antenna. The A-50 is also equipped with twin flare pods to defend against heat-seeking missiles, wingtip electronic countermeasures pods, an in-flight re-fuelling probe in the nose, and a radar warning receiver. Russian sources have declared that the A50U’s length is 49.59m (152 ft 8 in), wingspan: 50.50 m (165 ft 6 in), height: 14.76 m (48 ft 5 in), wing area: 300 m² (3,228 ft²), empty weight: 75,000 kg (165,347 lb).
They also state that the A-50 carries out patrol missions at an altitude of 5,000 m to 10,000 m. The maximum flight range of the aircraft is 5,000 km and the flight endurance is seven hours 40 minutes. At a range of 2,000 km, the A-50 can remain on patrol for up to one hour 25 minutes. The aircraft is manned by five flight crew and ten mission crew who can enjoy more comfortable work conditions compared to the previous A-50 modifications, including a rest area and kitchen.
They also state that the Russian AWACS features the Shmel II radar capable of detecting a missile launch at a distance of up to 1,000 km and tracking fighters up to 400 km. In detection of maritime objects, both systems track objects to the horizon. The radar is said to be able to track 300 targets simultaneously, providing guidance for 40 fighter aircraft.
The A-50U is only an interim AWACS design to serve until the A-100 Premier reaches initial operational capability. The Premier’s radar will use an active phased array antenna, rather than the passive phrased array system installed on the A-50.
I will be giving a presentation to the Grantham Aviation Society at the Great Gonerby Social Club, 8, High Street Great Gonerby at 8pm on 22nd November 2016. Entry is free and the talk will last for about 2 hours. There is a bar and refreshments available. I will be describing the history of AEW&C aircraft and how the book came to be written and published by Harpia. I will take along several AEW Aircraft models and many of my research files and the files containing the correspondence with the Publisher and my co-author which describe the trials and tribulations of writing a book! All interested in the subject are welcome.
Since posting this item I have been contacted by my so-called "co-author" Sergio Santana demanding to know what I shall be revealing about our correspondence whilst writing the book! Maybe he is a little nervous that I will be demonstrating with copies of emails how he continually failed to miss target deadlines for his portions of the text and bailed out just before the final Publisher's deadline. As we say in this country Sergio - if the cap fits, wear it!
Since posting this item I have been contacted by my so-called "co-author" Sergio Santana demanding to know what I shall be revealing about our correspondence whilst writing the book! Maybe he is a little nervous that I will be demonstrating with copies of emails how he continually failed to miss target deadlines for his portions of the text and bailed out just before the final Publisher's deadline. As we say in this country Sergio - if the cap fits, wear it!
Artice from Defense News websiteNorthrop Grumman Awarded Extension for Support of British Sentry FleetBy: Andrew Chuter, October 20, 2016 (Photo Credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
LONDON — Northrop Grumman has signed a nine-year extension to a deal with the British Royal Air Force (RAF) to support its fleet of Sentry E-3D airborne early warning aircraft. The contract award has yet to be announced by the UK arm of Northrop Grumman, but news the deal had been signed emerged when Cohort, one of the industry subcontractors in what is known as the Sentry Whole Life Support Program (WLSP), unexpectedly released the information earlier this week.
The company said in a statement it “is pleased to announce that its subsidiary MASS has been awarded a nine-year extension to its managed IT service contract for the Sentry at RAF Waddington." Northrop Grumman UK declined to comment. The company has been providing maintenance and modification services for the British Sentry fleet since it was awarded the original support deal in 2005. At the time, Northrop Grumman said that over the 20-year life of the program, the potential value of the deal could be worth in excess of £665 million (US $813 million). It remains Northrop Grumman’s biggest single contract in the UK.
The scope of the work being undertaken by its MASS subsidiary now includes replacement of the maintenance, repair and overhaul software and adds an enterprise performance management solution, the company said. A Northrop Grumman executive earlier this year said the final part of the 20-year deal also involved the contractors in providing higher operational availability rates than currently required for the six-strong fleet. The Sentry aircraft were originally scheduled to be retired from RAF service in 2025, but that date was pushed back 10 years in last November’s Strategic Defence and Security Review. A much needed update of the platform is expected to get underway by around 2020. An original scheme, known as Project Eagle, was abandoned in 2009 due to defense budget cuts.
LONDON — Northrop Grumman has signed a nine-year extension to a deal with the British Royal Air Force (RAF) to support its fleet of Sentry E-3D airborne early warning aircraft. The contract award has yet to be announced by the UK arm of Northrop Grumman, but news the deal had been signed emerged when Cohort, one of the industry subcontractors in what is known as the Sentry Whole Life Support Program (WLSP), unexpectedly released the information earlier this week.
The company said in a statement it “is pleased to announce that its subsidiary MASS has been awarded a nine-year extension to its managed IT service contract for the Sentry at RAF Waddington." Northrop Grumman UK declined to comment. The company has been providing maintenance and modification services for the British Sentry fleet since it was awarded the original support deal in 2005. At the time, Northrop Grumman said that over the 20-year life of the program, the potential value of the deal could be worth in excess of £665 million (US $813 million). It remains Northrop Grumman’s biggest single contract in the UK.
The scope of the work being undertaken by its MASS subsidiary now includes replacement of the maintenance, repair and overhaul software and adds an enterprise performance management solution, the company said. A Northrop Grumman executive earlier this year said the final part of the 20-year deal also involved the contractors in providing higher operational availability rates than currently required for the six-strong fleet. The Sentry aircraft were originally scheduled to be retired from RAF service in 2025, but that date was pushed back 10 years in last November’s Strategic Defence and Security Review. A much needed update of the platform is expected to get underway by around 2020. An original scheme, known as Project Eagle, was abandoned in 2009 due to defense budget cuts.
NATO begins GATM upgrade for AWACS
NATO has commenced a programme of modifying its Boeing E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft so that they become compliant with avionics requirements that enable operations in commercial airspace, Airbus Defence and Space (DS) have revealed in late July.
The first of the 13 AWACS aircraft to go through the global air traffic management (GATM) technology insertion programme was delivered in May 2016 to Airbus DS' Manching site in southern Germany. According to the company's in-house journal On Air . The work on the first aircraft will be completed in March 2017, with the remaining 12 aircraft planned to be delivered back to NATO by the end of 2018.
As the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Boeing was awarded the $250 million contract to upgrade NATO's E-3s in August 2014. As the NATO AWACS support authority, Airbus DS is carrying out the work of fitting new digital flight decks and avionics to the 13 aircraft (Boeing has already installed these systems on one NATO AWACS aircraft under an earlier engineering, manufacturing, and development [EMD] contract).
As noted in On Air , the 'glass cockpit' retrofit programme is focused on a new flight management system and the installation of 50 new 'black boxes', as well as the integration of a flight safety avionic systems. As well as ensuring that the aircraft will be GATM-compliant, it will also reduce the required flight deck crew from three to two. This is the sixth major upgrade of the NATO AWACS fleet that Airbus DS and its legacy companies have carried out at Manching since 1995.
Based on a modified Boeing 707/320 commercial airframe, the E-3 is built around a 9.1 m diameter rotating radome that sits on top of the fuselage. This radar has a range of more than 400 km (which equates to a coverage area of more than 500,000 km 2 of airspace) to look down and detect, identify, and track low-flying aircraft over land or water.
Harpia Pubishing have put up a really good preview here : http://www.harpia-publishing.com/galleries/AEW/index.html
Where you can have a look at several of the pages inside the book.
The best review so far has been written by Air Commodore Paddy Teakle the Deputy Force Commander and Chief of Staff of HQ NAEW&C Force Command, written for the Journal of the Joint Air Power Competence Centre. If anyone knows anything about AEW&C then it's him, I'm delighted to get such high praise from some one who knows the subject so well - here it is
Where you can have a look at several of the pages inside the book.
The best review so far has been written by Air Commodore Paddy Teakle the Deputy Force Commander and Chief of Staff of HQ NAEW&C Force Command, written for the Journal of the Joint Air Power Competence Centre. If anyone knows anything about AEW&C then it's him, I'm delighted to get such high praise from some one who knows the subject so well - here it is
Mar 13th 2017- News Section - Fourth example of Russia's A-50U enters service.
Aug 9th 2016 - News section - New Sky Waves Skyraider AD-5W model released.
Feb 6th 2016 - News section - Turkey considering option to order more "Peace Eagle" aircraft.
Dec 12th 2015 - News section - Boeing deliver the final Turkish "Peace Eagle".
Nov 16th 2015 - News Section - Internal Photo of the PAF KDZ-03.
Nov 10th 2015 - News Section - Defense News Report -UAE to buy Global Challenger fitted with SAAB's latest Erieye radar.
Nov 9th 2015 - SMW 2015 Info on front page and AEW aircraft model pictures from SMW 2015 in the Gallery.
Oct 22nd 2015 - News Section updated with several items of the latest AEW&C World News.
Oct 14th 2015 - Latest book review from JAPCC Journal.
Jan 31st 2015 - New AEW Blog added to the site. Also an interesting update to the AEW News - Enjoy!
Dec 23rd 2014- First review of my book by Cyber Modeller added.
Dec 9th 2014 - See Deleted sections from the book tab - Several parts of the book had to be deleted on the final edit as there was just not enough room in the 256 pages to get everything in. So I have decided to share many of these missing parts on this site for free. So over the next few months keep an eye on the site as I add many of the missing parts. I have started by uploading the entire 'missing' Appendix which lists every known AEW Squadron from around the world, its designation, type of aircraft, base location and dates of operation. Most of the original work for this set of tables was done by my researcher Sergio Santana, since then the tables have been embellished and detailed further as members of the AEW fraternity have contacted me over recent months to inform me of additional information and data that the authors were not aware of originally.
Special thanks for additional information regarding early US Navy AEW Squadrons must go to George E Stewart an ex PB-1W Flight Engineer for his meticulous putting together of the aforementioned early data. An apology is also owed to George for an incorrect credit in the book, the story of the deployment to Korea of VC-11 in 1952 on pages 22, 23 and 24 was in fact a story narrated by him not Bert Udovin as it states in the book. Many apologies George.
Dec 9th 2014 - As promised sections of text that were edited out of the book for space reasons will now be added to this website but it should be understood that text that is in the book will not be appended to the website. I have started with the cut out sections from the Introduction along with the cut parts from Chapter 1.
Aug 9th 2016 - News section - New Sky Waves Skyraider AD-5W model released.
Feb 6th 2016 - News section - Turkey considering option to order more "Peace Eagle" aircraft.
Dec 12th 2015 - News section - Boeing deliver the final Turkish "Peace Eagle".
Nov 16th 2015 - News Section - Internal Photo of the PAF KDZ-03.
Nov 10th 2015 - News Section - Defense News Report -UAE to buy Global Challenger fitted with SAAB's latest Erieye radar.
Nov 9th 2015 - SMW 2015 Info on front page and AEW aircraft model pictures from SMW 2015 in the Gallery.
Oct 22nd 2015 - News Section updated with several items of the latest AEW&C World News.
Oct 14th 2015 - Latest book review from JAPCC Journal.
Jan 31st 2015 - New AEW Blog added to the site. Also an interesting update to the AEW News - Enjoy!
Dec 23rd 2014- First review of my book by Cyber Modeller added.
Dec 9th 2014 - See Deleted sections from the book tab - Several parts of the book had to be deleted on the final edit as there was just not enough room in the 256 pages to get everything in. So I have decided to share many of these missing parts on this site for free. So over the next few months keep an eye on the site as I add many of the missing parts. I have started by uploading the entire 'missing' Appendix which lists every known AEW Squadron from around the world, its designation, type of aircraft, base location and dates of operation. Most of the original work for this set of tables was done by my researcher Sergio Santana, since then the tables have been embellished and detailed further as members of the AEW fraternity have contacted me over recent months to inform me of additional information and data that the authors were not aware of originally.
Special thanks for additional information regarding early US Navy AEW Squadrons must go to George E Stewart an ex PB-1W Flight Engineer for his meticulous putting together of the aforementioned early data. An apology is also owed to George for an incorrect credit in the book, the story of the deployment to Korea of VC-11 in 1952 on pages 22, 23 and 24 was in fact a story narrated by him not Bert Udovin as it states in the book. Many apologies George.
Dec 9th 2014 - As promised sections of text that were edited out of the book for space reasons will now be added to this website but it should be understood that text that is in the book will not be appended to the website. I have started with the cut out sections from the Introduction along with the cut parts from Chapter 1.