#25, E-3 Sentry AWACS: Nothing Happens in Modern Air War Without It
The Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS is the single most important aircraft in modern coalition warfare, and most people have never heard of it. Its rotating radar dome can track hundreds of aircraft simultaneously across a 250-mile radius, and its battle management crew directs every aspect of the air campaign: fighter intercepts, tanker rendezvous, search-and-rescue coordination, and real-time tactical intelligence. Without the E-3, modern air war simply doesn't function.
During Desert Storm, E-3s controlled every coalition air sortie over Iraq and Kuwait, more than 100,000 in total. NATO E-3s ran the air campaigns over Bosnia and Kosovo. American AWACS aircraft have been continuously deployed to the Middle East since 1990. The E-3 transforms individual aircraft into a coherent fighting force, giving commanders a god's-eye view of the battlespace that no adversary can match. It's the ultimate force multiplier, and defense technology planners consider it irreplaceable. Its successor, the E-7 Wedgetail, is now entering service, but the AWACS concept the E-3 pioneered remains the foundation of Western air power.
