USSR invades Ukraine. (78 Viewers)

The E-3 airborne warning and control system (AWACS) is built by Boeing Defense & Space Group. The role of the E-3 is to carry out airborne surveillance and command, control and communications (C3) functions for tactical and air defence forces.

In the USA, the aircraft carries the designation E-3 AWACS. The UK designation is E-3 Sentry AEW (airborne early warning) and the French designation is E-3 SDA.

The first E-3 entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in March 1977. Deliveries were concluded in June 1984. A total of 33 aircraft are in service with the USAF, seven with the UK Royal Air Force, four with the French Air Force, and five with Saudi Arabia.


E-3 deliveries to the UK began in March 1991 and were completed in May 1992. Deliveries to the Royal Saudi Air Force commenced in June 1986 and concluded in September 1987. The French Air Force received the first E-3 in May 1991 and the last aircraft in February 1992.

The Nato airborne early warning force, established in 1980, has a fleet of 14 E-3A aircraft.

E3 AWACS radar surveillance capability​

The E3 look-down radar has a 360° view of the horizon, and has a range of more than 320km at operating altitudes. The radar can detect and track air and sea targets simultaneously.

In a tactical role, the E-3 can detect and track hostile aircraft operating at low altitudes over any terrain, and can identify and control friendly aircraft in the same airspace. In the strategic defence role, the E-3 provides the means to detect, identify, track and intercept airborne threats.

During the 1990 to 1991 Operation Desert Storm, 845 AWACS sorties were flown and Nato E-3s also played a major role in the United Nations’ enforcement of the no-fly zone over Bosnia and during the Kosovo crisis. AWACS aircraft were also used by the USAF during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2001 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

E-3 upgrades and block modernisation​

USAF awarded a contract to Boeing in November 1997 to build and examine upgraded mission systems for the NATO E-3 fleet. Various systems such as computers, displays, communications, navigation and target identification were installed on the first of the Nato E-3 fleet under the $1.32bn Midterm Modernization Program. Work on the programme was completed in November 2006.

The USAF Block 30/35 modernisation programme included the following upgrades: provision of GPS (global positioning system) navigation, enhanced computer memory, installation of a JTIDS (joint tactical distribution system) Class II terminal and ESM (electronic support measures) equipment.

“The role of the E-3 is to carry out airborne surveillance, and command, control and communications (C3) functions.”
The USAF Block 40/45 upgrade programme includes new open architecture PC-based mission systems, upgraded communications and navigation systems and enhanced electronic support measures. Boeing was awarded the system development and design (SDD) contract for the programme in 2003 and the first flight of the upgraded aircraft was in July 2006. The SDD phase was successfully completed in September 2008. Boeing was awarded a low rate initial production (LRIP) contract for three E-3 AWACS aircraft in 2009. The contract work on the first aircraft began in November 2010 and was completed in September 2011. Full operational capability of all 33 aircraft in the USAF fleet was scheduled for 2016.

In January 2006, Boeing and Lockheed Martin were awarded contracts to conduct technology demonstrations to upgrade the mission systems on the UK Royal Air Force’s seven E-3D Sentry AWACS, under the Project Eagle programme.

In September 2007, Boeing was awarded a $49.2m contract to upgrade the communications systems of Saudi Arabian fleet of five E-3 AWACS aircraft with Link 16 secure digital datalink, which endorses the transmission of messages and imagery while rendering additional channels for digital voice.

The first upgraded aircraft was rolled out in July 2008 and the remaining four were completed by December 2009. In December 2007, Saudi Arabia requested the sale of upgraded mission equipment for five aircraft including the Radar System Improvement Program (RSIP) kits. As of September 2011, France, UK, US and Nato have installed the RSIP kits into their fleets.

In September 2008, France requested the upgrade of its four aircraft to the Block 40/45 configuration. Boeing was awarded a $38m contract in June 2017 to upgrade the French AWACS aircraft.

Boeing received a $1bn contract in November 2019 to modernise the AWACS fleet operated by NATO to keep the aircraft in service until 2035. Nato is looking for a suitable platform to replace the ageing E-3 aircraft in 2035. The UK is also acquiring five E-7 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) from Boeing to replace the E-3D platforms.

In November 2018, the US Air Force cancelled a contract awarded to Boeing to upgrade the radar on the aircraft over delays in the development of hardware and software for the system.

Boeing was contracted in October 2017 to update Saudi Arabia’s E-3 AWACS aircraft fleet. The company completed a series of upgrades to improve radar capabilities of the aircraft under the RSIP initiative in May that year.

E-3 aircraft features and layout​

E-3 has four flight crew (two pilots, navigator and flight engineer) and E3B and C aircraft have 18 AWACS officers and crew, the E-3A 13.

The basic E-3 aircraft is a militarised version of the Boeing 707-320B commercial jet airframe, distinguished by the addition of a large, rotating rotodome containing the main radar, identification friend or foe (IFF) and data-link fighter-control (TADIL-C) antennas.

The layout of the equipment in the fuselage is arranged in bays with areas allocated for communications, signal and data processing, command and control consoles, navigation and target identification systems.

Signal and data processing is carried out on a high-speed powerful IBM 4PiCC-1 computer.

The aircraft is equipped with 14 command and control consoles fitted with high-resolution colour displays supplied by Hazeltine.

In November 2006, Northrop Grumman was awarded a $104.6m contract by the USAF to provide the AN/AAQ-24 large aircraft infrared countermeasures (LAIRCM) self-protection system for the NATO fleet of 17 E-3A AWACS.

AN/APY-1/2 AWACS radar​

The primary radar housed in the rotodome is the Northrop Grumman AN/APY-1/2 AWACS radar. The radar transmitters, computers and display stations are housed within the fuselage.

The radome scans at six revolutions a minute. When the radar is not operating the radome rotation rate is set at one revolution every four minutes. The radar is multi-mode using powerful interleaving and de-interleaving algorithms.

The main operating modes are: pulse Doppler non-elevation scan (PDNES) for surveillance of airborne targets; pulse Doppler elevation scan (PDES) to determine the target elevation; beyond the horizon pulse radar mode; receive only mode for passive operation; standby mode; and maritime mode, which uses very short pulse width for the detection of surface ships.

Boeing, with the electronic sensors and systems division of Northrop Grumman as subcontractor, carried out an E-3 AWACS RSIP, which upgrades the capability of the AN/APY-1/2 against threats from small radar cross section targets, cruise missiles and electronic countermeasures.

The improvement in sensitivity against small and stealthy targets is achieved through the installation of a new surveillance radar computer (SRC) to replace the digital Doppler processor and radar correlator, and the translation of the associated software into ADA language. RSIP installation was completed on the Nato (17) and UK (seven) aircraft in 2000, on France (four) in 2006 and on the 33 USAF E-3 AWACS in April 2005.

The AN/APX-103 interrogator, supplied by the Telephonics Corporation, provides both civil and military identification friend or foe (IFF) operation and instantaneously provides a data set on all targets within the radar range. The data includes IFF status, range, azimuth and elevation position and code identification. Telephonics won a contract in March 2019 to build AN/UPX-40 next-generation IFF interrogators for Saudi E-3 Sentry aircraft.

Engines​

The USA and Nato E-3 AWACS aircraft are powered by four Pratt and Whitney TF-33-PW-100/100A turbofan, 21,500lb-thrust jet engines, mounted in pods under the wings. The E-3 AWACS aircraft for Saudi Arabia, UK and France are powered by four CFM International CFM-56-2A-2/3 turbofan engines, developing 24,000lb thrust. The higher power CFM-56 engines allow aircraft operation at higher altitudes, extending the horizon for radar surveillance.

The fuel tanks in the wings have a capacity of 90,500l, which give an unrefuelled range of more than 9,250km and a flight endurance of 11 hours. For increased range the aircraft is equipped with an in-flight refuelling probe and receptacle.

Related​

There’s a warrant out for Putin for war crimes. No way back now for him, if that was ever in doubt in the first place.

But he was provoked, he hasn't done anything wrong...

Meanwhile Jamie Allen is still free to roam the streets

I guess the fear that Putin would go nuclear if anyone tried to stop him is about to be tested.

Wonder if he might end up being defenestrated in the not too distant future?

China's President is supposed to meet Putin next week, will be interesting to see what develops after that.

Some sense in some of these comments.

skybluetony176 said:

There’s a warrant out for Putin for war crimes. No way back now for him, if that was ever in doubt in the first place.

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He was in Ukraine yesterday Tony. You could have flown over and made a citizens arrest.

RT.COM article. Today.

Warsaw will have “no choice” but to take part in the hostilities should Kiev fail to defend its “independence,” the country’s envoy to France has said

FILE PHOTO. Participants are seen during the 'Train With The Army' event at the Land Forces Academy in Wroclaw, Poland. © Getty Images / Anadolu Agency / Artur Widak
Poland may end up “joining” the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine should the latter fail to protect its“independence,” the Polish ambassador to France, Jan Emeryk Rosciszewski, has said. The senior diplomat made the remarks on Saturday while speaking live to the broadcaster LCI.
Rosciszewski squarely blamed the hostilities, which have been ongoing for over a year already, on Moscow, stating that it was “not NATO, not Poland, not France and not Slovakia” that was ramping up international tensions, but Russia. According to the diplomat, the situation now is “either Ukraine will successfully defend its independence, or we will be forced, in any case, to join this conflict.”
“Otherwise, our principal values, which are the basis of our civilization and our culture, will be in fundamental danger, so we will have no choice,” Rosciszewski stated.
The hawkish statement promptly made headlines in international media, prompting the Polish mission in France to elaborate further on the remarks made by its head. According to a message released by the embassy on Sunday, Rosciszewski’s comments were not actually an admission that Warsaw was ready to go to war with Russia, but merely a “warning” and a pledge to continue supporting Kiev.
READ MORE: Poland to station HIMARS near Russian border
“Listening carefully to the entire conversation allows us to understand that there was no announcement of Poland’s direct involvement in the conflict, but only a warning against the consequences of Ukraine's defeat – the possibility of Russia attacking or dragging into the war more Central European countries – the Baltic states and Poland,” the statement reads. The embassy also condemned the purportedly “sensational”reporting on the bombshell interview, suggesting that some unidentified media outlets may have acted in “ill will.”
The remarks received a poor reception in Moscow, with a top Russian senator, Alexey Pushkov, warning Warsaw of the potential consequences and questioning its presumed resolve to fight Russia on its own.
“A very presumptuous statement by the Polish ambassador in Paris. For the first time, an official representative of Poland said what its leaders have long had on their minds. However, all the ‘courage’ of the Poles is based on the support of the United States. Is Warsaw sure that Washington is ready to fight?”Pushkov said in a Telegram post.
Poland has been among the most active supporters of Kiev in the hostilities against Russia, sending in assorted military hardware, including tanks and artillery pieces, to prop up Ukraine. Apart from that, Polish mercenaries have been directly involved in the conflict in significant numbers, according to Moscow. Warsaw has also announced a major military buildup of its own, seeking to greatly expand the ranks of its armed forces and procure large amounts of modern military hardware from overseas.

My sincere apologies @David O'Day I posted on the wrong thread

Vlad on tour - I’m surprised you aren’t out there protesting Dave

Grendel said:

My sincere apologies @David O'Day I posted on the wrong thread

Vlad on tour - I’m surprised you aren’t out there protesting Dave

Ukraine war: Putin pays visit to occupied Mariupol, state media reports - BBC News

The Russian president toured the Ukrainian city devastated by Russian shelling, the Kremlin says.

www.bbc.com

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Can I ask why you think anyone would think that an international arrest warrant would mean anything when he is still inside Russian occupied land?

David O'Day said:

Can I ask why you think anyone would think that an international arrest warrant would mean anything when he is still inside Russian occupied land?

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The interesting part of the whole interview and the BBC news item that I saw was the people he saw from the City who seemed rather happy with Russian occupation David

Grendel said:

The interesting part of the whole interview and the BBC news item that I saw was the people he saw from the City who seemed rather happy with Russian occupation David

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Come on Grendel, you know how someone like Putin works. They’re probably plants or he’s got a gun to their kids heads. Maybe I’m overly sceptical and they’re genuine, however, I can’t take what he says/presents at face value

CCFCSteve said:

Come on Grendel, you know how someone like Putin works. They’re probably plants or he’s got a gun to their kids heads. Maybe I’m overly sceptical and they’re genuine, however, I can’t take what he says/presents at face value

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Not can I - wasn’t really the point I was making in truth

Grendel said:

The interesting part of the whole interview and the BBC news item that I saw was the people he saw from the City who seemed rather happy with Russian occupation David

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Fucking hell.

Grendel said:

The interesting part of the whole interview and the BBC news item that I saw was the people he saw from the City who seemed rather happy with Russian occupation David

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pre-war population 470000 - 60 odd percent ukrainian, 30 odd Russian and some Greeks. Now it's around 100k inc large number of Russian migrant workers. Ukrainians either fled or were shipped out to Russian-held territory when the Russians were flattening the city and the steelworks.
Seeing as it's now under Russian law and speaking out against the war can get you 10 years probably hard to find too many dissenting voices there

I saw the clip and it definitely looked like it was staged and these were all planted there for the photo/video opportunity

Just the way they spoke and the things they said.

There are a lot of rumours saying that it wasn't Putin but one of his body doubles. I'm not sure he trusts his entourage enough to take the risk of going there.

Grendel said:

Not can I - wasn’t really the point I was making in truth

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Go on then, I’ll ask. What was the point you were making in truth then?

skybluetony176 said:

Go on then, I’ll ask. What was the point you were making in truth then?

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Great win on Saturday wasn’t it mate

PVA said:

Russia is resorting to sending female prisoners to the front line now ffs.

Definitely not getting desperate, no siree. Special operation is going perfectly to plan.

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Did you ever respond to @fernandopartridge with the actual source of this information?

Boosh said:

Great win on Saturday wasn’t it mate

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He probably thinks you mean we are back in the EU

Boosh said:

Great win on Saturday wasn’t it mate

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Grendel said:

Did you ever respond to @fernandopartridge with the actual source of this information?

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Every paper in the UK regardless of political agenda, every news channel in the UK regardless of political agenda.

skybluetony176 said:

Go on then, I’ll ask. What was the point you were making in truth then?

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None, he's not very smart

skybluetony176 said:

View attachment 28778

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It is pretty sad how Boosh is reduced to being Grenners wingman these days.

Even his permabanned troll phase was more dignified than this.

David O'Day said:

It is pretty sad how Boosh is reduced to being Grenners wingman these days.

Even his permabanned troll phase was more dignified than this.

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Your obsession is starting to feel less cute and more Joe Goldberg esque

skybluetony176 said:

Every paper in the UK regardless of political agenda, every news channel in the UK regardless of political agenda.

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As your mate @PVA says frequently - can’t you read Tony?

Grendel said:

Did you ever respond to @fernandopartridge with the actual source of this information?

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There are plenty of sources out there. Go take a look if you're that bothered.

Though not that you'll pay any heed to it given you've fully swallowed the Russian propaganda.

PVA said:

There are plenty of sources out there. Go take a look if you're that bothered.

Though not that you'll pay any heed to it given you've fully swallowed the Russian propaganda.

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So all the articles are from different sources? Show me

PVA said:

There are plenty of sources out there. Go take a look if you're that bothered.

Though not that you'll pay any heed to it given you've fully swallowed the Russian propaganda.

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Grendel said:

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Are you trying to suggest it's Ukranian propaganda?

skybluetony176 said:

Every paper in the UK regardless of political agenda, every news channel in the UK regardless of political agenda.

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Newspapers are not a source of information as such, they are amplifiers

The Mariupol residents that Grendel thought were so happy and grateful for Putin's intervention are in fact Federal Protective Service Officers.