RAF to scrap E-3 Sentry this year

[Spad]

Over Sheppey now

[reaper493]

Well, they're both back, lets see what happens over the next few weeks!

I think some block leave is on the cards, they've been deployed for a while.

I managed to see 101 return, hopefully that wasn't the last E3 sortie!

MIke

[reheat module]

Nice little clip on BBC Look North, hope you got lots of royalties Richard....

[captain scarlet]

Nice little clip on BBC Look North, hope you got lots of royalties Richard....

I was also live on bbc radio lincs this afternoon too!

[ColintheCaterpillar]

So that is five Sentinel and the last three Sentry aircraft being withdrawn. What happens to the aircrew, flight / ground specialists and general ground crew ? In total that is got to be hundred or more RAF and contractor personal. With no similar types in service do they get retrained or made redundant ?

probably retrained for the Wedgetail ?

Except they decided to base that in Scotland.

[ColintheCaterpillar]

Why are the RAF scrappinng theE3 awacs when many other airforces are still going to carry on flying them ? Rob

Because they've had no money spent on them to keep them upgraded to the latest standards, and they're basically 1990's tech in a 2021 stealth world. It'll cost more to upgrade them than to buy new E-7's, which is what we're supposed to be doing.

Close.

They are 1990s/early 00s upgraded tech…
Using a 1960/70s vintage based radar system…
On a airframe designed in the early 1950s (with some really basic tech and inherent limitations)…
With posh “new-ish” engines…

Time to move on.

[baz1]

So that is five Sentinel and the last three Sentry aircraft being withdrawn. What happens to the aircrew, flight / ground specialists and general ground crew ? In total that is got to be hundred or more RAF and contractor personal. With no similar types in service do they get retrained or made redundant ?

probably retrained for the Wedgetail ?

Except they decided to base that in Scotland.

probably to make room for the Reds?

[reaper493]

When the Wedgetails were going to come to Waddington, they were always planned to be housed in a new hangar to the east of the runway, where the ACMI jets used to park (next dispersal down from where the ITAF Typhoons were for CW).

Alpha dispersal was always planned for the Reds I think, which is why they operated from there when they tested Waddo out, when ever that was.

Mike

[ColintheCaterpillar]

probably retrained for the Wedgetail ?

Except they decided to base that in Scotland.

probably to make room for the Reds?

I think more to do with the fact a facility had already been built to service 737s! Considering that was designed for 12 P-8s, and only 9 of those are arriving, the maths is easy. Why duplicate?

The fact the Reds will move in is a coincidence; it was disclosed in the press last year that a new hangar would be built for E-7 at Waddington.

[TonyO]

I guess we now have to see if the airworthy E-3s receive blue rudders.

[reaper493]

There is a number of people who believe they will, fueled by Pub rumors' of what someone saw in the local Tesco....

Did you ever get anything back from your contact when I mentioned it a few months back?

Mike

[TonyO]

Nout, but there have been rumours in Chile about this too.

[Pesmog]

It will certainly be a shame to see the E3's go. They were a great aircraft to observe from the ground, and one of the few aircraft flying today that virtually anyone could easily identify.

[Seahornet1]

It will certainly be a shame to see the E3's go. They were a great aircraft to observe from the ground, and one of the few aircraft flying today that virtually anyone could easily identify.

We can hope that a 737 with a billboard on the roof ought to be fairly easy to spot, too...

[colt99]

The comment at the end is interesting to me, that the E-3 will formally decommission "later this year."Hopefully still time for a farewell flypast.
https://www.forces.net/video?video=4920 ... 9&playlist

[Arthur Tee]

Raising my head above the parapet - and fully prepared to be shot-down...

Does anyone know if there are plans afoot to preserve one (either in part or whole)?

Arthur

[reaper493]

Not as of yet, that I've heard.

As we know 105 is a fuselage and a some stubby wing tips.
104 is in the US.
107 has now lost it's rotardome.
102 appears intact from the outside, might have lost some/all engines or parts of.
101/3/6 may yet fly again, and may end up elsewhere.
So there's not many options....

The WAVE has made it be known they would be interested in one/part of one but not sure where they would put what ever they got.

I think the chances of one being preserved whole are pretty slim, considering the size. I can't think of any museums that have an E3 sized gap, unless there's space next to the C-130, or opposite the Hunter at Cosford? Getting it there would be a whole other problem.

Still no word on who won the tender for the Disposal of the E3s (107/102) and Sentinel fleet.

I can't see it sadly.

[f-4]

It would be nice to see ZH107 saved as it was (I think) the last 707 produced.

[Arthur Tee]

Not as of yet, that I've heard.

As we know 105 is a fuselage and a some stubby wing tips.
104 is in the US.
107 has now lost it's rotardome.
102 appears intact from the outside, might have lost some/all engines or parts of.
101/3/6 may yet fly again, and may end up elsewhere.
So there's not many options....

The WAVE has made it be known they would be interested in one/part of one but not sure where they would put what ever they got.

I think the chances of one being preserved whole are pretty slim, considering the size. I can't think of any museums that have an E3 sized gap, unless there's space next to the C-130, or opposite the Hunter at Cosford? Getting it there would be a whole other problem.

Still no word on who won the tender for the Disposal of the E3s (107/102) and Sentinel fleet.

I can't see it sadly.

Sadly I think it will be highly unlikely. A pity really, as I was fortunate enough to fly on all seven airframes during my tour with 23 Squadron.
Would have looked nice with one parked next to the VC-10 and Hercules at Cosford - especially as both of those airframes feature in my logbook too!

[ColintheCaterpillar]

Not as of yet, that I've heard.

As we know 105 is a fuselage and a some stubby wing tips.
104 is in the US.
107 has now lost it's rotardome.
102 appears intact from the outside, might have lost some/all engines or parts of.
101/3/6 may yet fly again, and may end up elsewhere.
So there's not many options....

The WAVE has made it be known they would be interested in one/part of one but not sure where they would put what ever they got.

I think the chances of one being preserved whole are pretty slim, considering the size. I can't think of any museums that have an E3 sized gap, unless there's space next to the C-130, or opposite the Hunter at Cosford? Getting it there would be a whole other problem.

Still no word on who won the tender for the Disposal of the E3s (107/102) and Sentinel fleet.

I can't see it sadly.

Sadly I think it will be highly unlikely. A pity really, as I was fortunate enough to fly on all seven airframes during my tour with 23 Squadron.
Would have looked nice with one parked next to the VC-10 and Hercules at Cosford - especially as both of those airframes feature in my logbook too!

Indeed it would look good at Cosford. Sadly the limitations of the site at Cosford are now presenting themselves when it comes to large aircraft.

Not sure if there’s the will or more importantly the shed loads of money required to move one to Cosford!