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United States

Boeing

E-3 Sentry (AWACS)

707-based airborne early warning and control aircraft with a rotating radome tracking hundreds of air and surface targets over a wide radius.

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-04

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

US ITAR-controlled

Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.

Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale

Fielded & proven

Operator data not public

Status: active · ~68 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Performance specifications
Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.	853 km/h Stronger than 77% of systems in its class
Cruise speed Sustained economical speed. Determines transit time to station.	579 km/h
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.	7,400 km Stronger than 75% of systems in its class
Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.	8,839 m
Endurance Time on station. Critical for UAVs and patrol platforms, higher means longer persistent coverage.	8 h

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.	46.61 m
Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span.	44.42 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.	12.6 m
Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.	83,915 kg
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.	156,036 kg

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion specifications
Engine Powerplant model and type.	Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-100A turbofan
Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.	4
Thrust Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).	96 kN
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…	turbofan

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Sensors & avionics specifications
Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.	Northrop Grumman AN/APY-1 / AN/APY-2 pulse-Doppler surveillance radar

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Program specifications
Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.	68 Stronger than 39% of systems in its class

Specifications compiled from public Boeing and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-04.

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