UKDJ: NATO AWACS reconnaissance aircraft monitor Ukrainian airspace
Members of the North Atlantic Alliance share with Ukraine data collected during flights of aircraft equipped with AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) systems. This was reported by the British portal UK Defense Journal (UKDJ).
“Officially, any intelligence gathered is only sent to NATO members, but it is common knowledge that some of those members are quickly sharing this information with Ukraine, allowing it to repel upcoming attacks,” a retired UK Air Force officer told the portal. According to him, the transfer of information allows Kyiv to “respond a little faster.”
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Mostly “flying radars” are located in Polish airspace. However, patrol routes also extend over the entire Eastern Europe and over the Baltic Sea.
Plans to send AWACS to the border with Ukraine were announced immediately after Euromaidan
NATO’s plans to send AWACS aircraft to the borders with Ukraine were first reported back in 2014, immediately after Euromaidan. Then a representative of the North Atlantic Alliance noted that reconnaissance flights “will last as long as necessary.” It was explained that this would contribute to better awareness of the alliance about the situation in Ukraine and Crimea.
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The next mention of an AWACS deployment came in 2023, almost a year after the start of Russia’s special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine. It was reported that a group of three airborne early warning and control aircraft had arrived from Geilenkirchen, Germany, to the Romanian Otopeni air base near Bucharest. Their task was to track Russian military aircraft.
Two more NATO aircraft were deployed to the Lithuanian city of Siauliai in September 2023. The alliance explained that AWACS systems are capable of detecting aircraft and missiles hundreds of kilometers away, making them a key early warning asset for NATO.
What is AWACS system
In NATO, the Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft is equipped with the AWACS system. Its first version entered service in March 1977. The machine, built on the platform of the Boeing 707-320 passenger aircraft, is equipped with a radar system with a dorsal rotating antenna. The E-3 is designed for long-range detection of air, surface and ground targets, transmitting target designation and coordinating the actions of allied forces.
The E-3s received significant improvements in the 2010s. At the same time, according to American Air Force generals, the aircraft still had some groundwork left for subsequent upgrades.
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However, back in 2004, the US “flying radar” Boeing E-7A Wedgetail took off for the first time. Its main difference lies in the new radar station, which, unlike the E-3, does not rotate around itself, but remains stationary. “Instead of periodic rotational movements, the E-7’s long-range electronic scanning multifunction sensor will allow operators to fix their gaze on a target—or several of them,” wrote Defense News.
The Russian aviation has similar aircraft in service. The main one is the A-50 based on the Il-76 airliner. Thanks to the radio-technical complex “Shmel”, it can be used to detect and track air and surface targets, notify command posts of automated control systems of the Armed Forces about the air and surface situation, be used to control fighter and attack aircraft when guiding them to air, land and sea targets, and also serve as an air command post.
In 2022, the first flight with the locator turned on was made by the A-100 Premier aircraft. It is equipped with a dual-band phased array radar, which has increased range and ability to detect low-observable stealth targets. It can also receive information from space satellites and conduct reconnaissance at a distance of 200 kilometers from the front line.
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