NATO has approved the replacement of its fleet of last-generation E-3A AWACS aircraft with new machines by 2031, the alliance's press service said. We are talking about the production of six Boeing E-7As that are "equipped with a powerful radar" capable of detecting enemy aircraft, missiles and ships at a long distance and guiding the bloc's fighters at them.
"As NATO's current Airborne Early Warning and Control fleet comes to an end, the organisation has already selected a new generation of command and control aircraft. In the coming years, it is planned to begin construction of six new Boeing E-7A Wedgetails; It is expected that the first aircraft will be ready for combat duty by 2031. This month, a consortium of allies approved the project, one of NATO's largest purchases of equipment," the report said.
A statement by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is also cited.
"Surveillance and control aircraft play a key role in NATO's collective defence, and I welcome the willingness of Allies to invest in high-tech capabilities," he said.
According to Stoltenberg, such investments "in the latest technologies" demonstrate the strength of transatlantic defense cooperation as NATO continues to "adapt to a more volatile world."
Based at an air base in Germany, the E-3A AWACS aircraft participated in "all major NATO operations," including on the eastern flank after the start of Russia's special operation in Ukraine, the alliance's press service noted. The new Boeing E-7As will be based there and will be able to be deployed to several "forward airfields" in various eastern and southern NATO countries, if necessary. These aircraft should become part of the Alliance's integrated airspace control and early warning system.
Activity in the air
Recall that in January of this year, the press service of the North Atlantic Alliance announced that NATO would deploy AWACS early warning and guidance aircraft in Romania to monitor Russian military activity. They were supposed to be based in Bucharest and arrive there in the same month.
Later, in August, Adevarul reported that a record number of NATO reconnaissance aircraft had been recorded "in the skies of Romania and over the Black Sea." According to the publication, we are talking about two Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft of the Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (AWACS) of the alliance, as well as a Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft.
In the same month, a NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWACS) Boeing E-3A Sentry aircraft appeared near Crimea, the Military Chronicle reported. According to her, on board the aircraft there is an AN/APY-2 radar system for detecting and tracking tactical aircraft and cruise missiles, as well as an AN/AYR-1 electronic reconnaissance station for opening the positions of operating radars for detecting and illuminating anti-aircraft missile systems.
In September, NATO said the alliance would send two AWACS aircraft to Lithuania to track Russia. This is stated in the published statement of the bloc. As explained, one of the fighters will carry out missions "to monitor Russian military activity near the borders of the alliance." Later that day, NATO AWACS aircraft arrived at Zokniai Air Base in Šiauliai, Lithuania, to carry out a reconnaissance mission. The AWACS was supposed to fly from Lithuania over NATO member states within a few weeks. Together with them, a special military contingent of 150 people arrived.
- Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS
- AP
- © Matthias Rietschel
In October, former U.S. intelligence officer Scott Ritter said that the U.S. was filling the skies with radars and AWACS radar detection aircraft, but could not understand how Russia had created such a powerful air defense, including in the special operation zone in Ukraine. Ritter also believes that Russian air defense will provide the Russian Federation with air superiority in the war of the future.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that in order to increase the combat capabilities of "countering the warheads of ballistic missiles", aviation detection and control systems of the AWACS type, as well as strategic aviation aircraft, the equipping of the troops with S-300V4 air defense systems in the Western Military District continues," the Russian Defense Ministry told Krasnaya Zvezda.
Effective Response
In a comment to RT, military expert Alexei Leonkov noted that the replacement of the obsolete E-3A AWACS with Boeing E-7A in the NATO fleet "fits into the course of the alliance to contain Russia," which the bloc considers in its strategic documents as the main threat to the security of NATO members.
"Such aircraft provide aerial reconnaissance. Boeing E-7A is a class of strategic air aviation and, together with the Global Hawk UAV, provides full electronic and electronic reconnaissance in specific theaters of military operations," the expert explained.
He added that the emphasis in the new aircraft is on increasing the volume of information received and its processing.
"I think that the advantage of the Boeing E-7A compared to the outdated AWAKS is in the detection range, in the power of the antenna, in the number of ground and air targets handled. All of this is digitized. There is information that a system with artificial intelligence will be installed on board the new version, which will be engaged in the primary processing of information and upload these data packets through an analogue of a 5G connection directly into the combat control system," Leonkov believes.
The Boeing E-7A is also needed to determine the location and movement of troops in a potential theater of operations, he explained.
"It is the Boeing E-7A aircraft that will be the source that will verify the information received and present its change in dynamic terms - how much the situation has changed in real time," Leonkov said.
- Boeing E-7A Wedgetail
- AFP
- © AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE / CPL DAVID GIBBS
A similar position was expressed in an interview with RT by military expert Viktor Litovkin. According to him, reconnaissance aircraft are devoid of the shortcomings of field radars.
"Ground-based radars can see far enough, but the Earth's surface has a steepness that radio beams can't go around, they travel in a straight line. Thus, the radar's field of view is reduced, and white spots appear. At the same time, Boeing E-7A aircraft operate at an altitude of 1-2 km, allowing them to "illuminate" areas invisible to ground-based radars," Litovkin explained.
At the same time, according to the expert, NATO will not deploy Boeing E-7A exclusively near the Russian borders, we are talking about an expanded potential for their use.
"They can be stationed in Greece or, for example, in Bulgaria. This will allow the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance to control movements in the Black Sea and in the Crimea. It is no coincidence that NATO sends its AWACS aircraft to patrol the sea. The Boeing E-7A will only increase the capabilities of NATO radio reconnaissance in this region," Litovkin said.
Leonkov also noted that the new aircraft have wide capabilities and can be actively involved in exercises.
"Boeing E-7A can conduct maneuvers using strategic aviation, one of the elements of which is the simulation of electronic launches of cruise missiles in the immediate vicinity of the Russian borders. For example, it is possible to use an AI system to simulate a battle when these electronic missiles hit electronic targets. Moreover, both ground headquarters and Boeing E-7A aircraft will interact," the analyst explained.
Nevertheless, Leonkov is convinced that "Russia is able to react in time and effectively" to the appearance of the Boeing E-7A in the immediate vicinity of its borders.
"The Russian Federation has tactical aircraft, it has aviation weapons. The domestic A-100 is an analogue of the Boeing E-7A or even slightly ahead of it. Compared to the A-50, the <>th is being created on a completely different base, which has significantly expanded capabilities for detecting and processing ground targets, receiving intelligence information," he said.
In addition, Litovkin recalled that Russia also has specialized means of combating both AWACS and Boeing E-7A.
"The Russian Federation has electronic warfare systems that it uses to protect itself from reconnaissance aircraft. If these aircraft end up in neutral airspace near Russia's borders, Russia could send them electronic warfare planes to intercept them, which would simply "cut off" Boeing's electronics. As a last resort, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will use air defense," the analyst summed up.