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E3 Sentry
The E-3 Sentry is a
military airborne warning and control system
(AWACS) aircraft that provides all-weather
surveillance, command, control and communications,
to the United States, NATO and other air defense
forces. The E-3
Sentry is a modified Boeing 707-320 commercial
airframe with a rotating radar dome. The dome
is 30 feet (9.1 m) in diameter, six feet (1.8
m) thick, and is held 14 feet (4.2 m) above
the fuselage by two struts. It contains a
radar subsystem that permits surveillance
from the Earth's surface up into the stratosphere,
over land or water. Two generators on each
of the four engines provide the 1 megawatt
of power required by the radar. The radar
has a range of more than 250 miles (375 km)
for low-flying targets and beyond the horizon
(approximately 400 miles, although the actual
range is classified) for aerospace vehicles
flying at medium to high altitudes. The radar
combined with an IFF subsystem can look down
to detect, identify and track enemy and friendly
low-flying aircraft by eliminating ground
clutter returns that confuse other radar systems.
The USAF E-3 fleet completed
its largest upgrade in 2001. Known as the
Block 30/35 Modification Program.
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