Boeing, FARNBOROUGH, England: The Boeing Company has conducted a successful first test flight of an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft upgraded under the Block 40/45 program, the largest enhancement in the history of the U.S. Air Force E-3 AWACS fleet.
During the three-hour flight on July 15, pilots performed a series of compatibility tests between the upgrades and the aircraft's systems and structures.
The airworthiness flight test program is scheduled for 24 flights over the next few months. Phase two of the program will include flight testing the Block 40/45 mission system.
Under the Block 40/45 program, Boeing outfitted the Test System 3 (TS-3) AWACS test aircraft with new mission computing hardware and software, upgraded radar equipment, and navigation and communications systems.
These enhancements are designed to increase the aircraft's capability through improved automation and human computer interface, reliability and lowered lifecycle costs. These upgrades make AWACS a prime catalyst for network-enabled capability and an extraordinary force multiplier across the entire operational theater.
The modifications are based on prototype hardware and software successfully demonstrated on TS-3 during risk reductions efforts.
Based on a Boeing 707-320B airframe, the E-3 AWACS provides surveillance, command-and-control, and communications functions for tactical and defensive missions. In service since 1977, it is used by the U.S. Air Force, NATO, United Kingdom, France and Saudi Arabia.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $30.8 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer; a foremost developer of advanced concepts and technologies; a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in sustainment solutions and launch services.
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