Airborne Early Warning Aircraft

Airborne early warning (AEW) has been used since 1941 but, until the computer revolution of the late 1970s, was restricted in its operation to maritime use. Since the 1980s, AEW aircraft have become the must-have force multiplier of any first-rate armed force and are worthy of analysis. From the RAF’s Wellington ACI of 1941 and the Elgar operations of 1944 to the Boeing E-7 Wedgetails that will enter service next year, the UK has paved the way in AEW technology, albeit not with great success. The Americans, following Britain’s lead and taking a hammering from the kamikaze. That radar would remain in service on the RAF’s Shackleton AEW2 until 1991 when it was replaced by the Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW1. In the intervening period, many attempts to produce an AEW system for use over land failed, until the E-3 Sentry came on the scene in the late 1970s. On the maritime front, Grumman’s E-2 Hawkeye became a popular choice. Due to the massive power requirements of radars and their associated computers, AEW aircraft we