5: Saab Erieye – 20
Saab
Our fifth-place entry is for a Swedish-developed mission system and radar which has so far been adapted for use aboard a trio of airframe types.
Stockholm first developed the Erieye package for installation with the
Saab 340 regional turboprop, which the Swedish air force flies as the Argus. It was also later adapted for the
Embraer ERJ-145 and
Saab 2000. A combined 20 AEW&C aircraft in these models are flown by Sweden, Brazil, Greece, Mexico,
Pakistan, Thailand and the United Arab
Emirates. A similar-looking antenna array has also been developed independently by India – and also mounted atop the ERJ-145.
6=:
Boeing 737 – 13
Commonwealth of Australia
The 737-based AEW&C system is easily distinguishable from the narrowbody airliner due to its Northrop
Grumman MESA active electronically scanned array, or “top hat”. Australia has the largest fleet, with six “Wedgetail” aircraft. One of these has been flying missions of up to 16h in duration during the nation’s Operation Okra contribution to the US-led campaign against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. South Korea has received all four of its surveillance-roled
737s, while the Turkish air force has taken delivery of all but one of its eventually four-strong fleet. Ascend also records Qatar as interested in acquiring three.
6=: Shaanxi Y-8 – 13
Rex Features
With the same installed fleet size as the AEW&C-roled 737, China’s early-warning version of the Shaanxi Y-8 has the designation KJ-200 with the nation’s armed forces.
Beijing’s air force has seven in use, and its navy three.
Pakistan’s air force also has acquired three examples – with a fourth on order – and designates the type as the
ZDK-03.
8: Westland Sea King 7 – 10
Crown Copyright
Nicknamed “baggers”, due to the inflatable housing containing the mechanically scanned array for the type’s Thales Searchwater 2000 radar, the UK Royal Navy’s Sea King 7 airborne surveillance and control system provides an organic AEW capability while deployed from surface ships. Also flown extensively in an over-land surveillance role while deployed to Afghanistan until late last year, the venerable type is nearing the end of its service, with the 10-strong fleet to retire between next year and 2018. The Ministry of Defence has opted to install a replacement system dubbed Crowsnest on 10 AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HM2 anti-submarine warfare helicopters, and is due to choose between a
Lockheed Martin UK and Thales UK team during the second quarter of this year. The UK will follow the Italian navy in operating the AW101 in an AEW&C role, with
Rome having four examples in use.
9: Elta Systems CAEW – 6
Commonwealth of Australia
Israel and Singapore today operate a combined six
Gulfstream G550 business jets that have been extensively modified by Israel Aerospace Industries’ Elta Systems subsidiary into the conformal AEW (CAEW) standard. Italy also is to receive two of the type. Rarer still is the IAI-developed Phalcon system, which integrated an AEW&C mission kit aboard the
Boeing 707 platform. Single examples are flown by the air forces of Israel and Chile.
10: Boeing E-767 – 4
US Air Force
Boeing’s experience with delivering the E-3 AWACS led to the company’s development of a comparable system based on its newer
767 platform. Japan was the only nation to acquire the type, and flies four of the E-767 variant, along with the same number of KC-767 tankers.
Airborne early wonders: our Top 10 eyes in the sky - 2/27/2015 - Flight Global