NOVEMBER 2016 | 27 ensures it can land at any suitable airport in the world, Hunsberger said. New weather radar, radio altimeters, antennas and a global positioning system also have been added. Boeing will conduct flight tests on the modified Air Force and NATO aircraft through the end of next year before returning them to their owners. The remaining AWACS planes will receive enhanced flight-deck systems installations at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City and at Manching Flugplatz in Manching, Germany. Military personnel will make the changes on the other American-based AWACS. Airbus Defence and Space Military Aircraft Center, in Manching, which contracts with NATO to perform repair and maintenance services, will update the aircraft in Europe under Boeing oversight— indeed, a second NATO AWACS is already undergoing modifications. An AWACS aircraft is readily identifiable by its black and gray dome, which measures 30 feet (9.1 meters) in diameter, is 6 feet (1.8 meters) thick and is mounted 11 feet (3.4 meters) above the fuselage on two struts. Although an aircraft carrying a dome can’t maneuver during flight as fast as one that flies without, any other effects from surveillance equipment standing tall on the back of the fuselage are minimal, said Boeing test pilot Mark Mitchell. “It’s aerodynamic; the air goes over the top of it,” Mitchell said of the dome. “When landing the airplane, you don’t know it is back there. It’s very transparent” to the flight crew. What’s different overall with the AWACS, compared with a more modern aircraft, is it requires more precise control when touching down and more instrument checks before departing, the veteran test pilot said. “It’s a good flying airplane,” Mitchell said. “It’s been a workhorse for a long time. It makes me feel young again.” Gragg Hart has been involved with the AWACS for more than three decades—nearly the life of the unique military aircraft. He served as an Air Force navigator for 14 years, logging 5,000 hours. He’s been a Boeing avionics systems engineer for 19 years, providing upgrades and solutions for the plane. “I have had the bittersweet task of eliminating my position—the navigator—on the aircraft,” he noted. The E-3 Sentry typically operates with 18 to 20 people on board, comprising the flight crew, a surveillance team and a weapons group. A dozen people sit in rows filled with computer consoles, interpreting radar data and consulting with commanders, turning the main cabin into an office-like atmosphere. At the rear of the aircraft are bunk beds for rest breaks. Hart compares the AWACS aircraft to a B-52 bomber, as a resilient Boeingbuilt aircraft that ultimately may reach 100 years of service. It is unmatched for conflict resolution—for providing local and theater decision-makers key situational and tactical information—in spite of its advancing years, he said. “It’s an aging aircraft, that’s true, but everything ages,” Hart said. “We’ve got the talent in the seats and at the air bases, and at Boeing, to keep them flying.” • DANIEL.W.RALEY@BOEING.COM
Frontiers November 2016 Issue
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