Boeing Delivers Final of 14 Modernized AWACS Aircraft to NATO

Boeing has delivered the final Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft modernized with avionics and a digital cockpit to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Manching, Germany.

This delivery is the final of 14 and ensures NATO AWACS compliance with current and future air traffic control and navigation requirements, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

The upgrade included five full-color digital displays in each aircraft, replacing 1970’s-era dials and provides crew members with customizable engine, navigation and radar data.

“The Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) modernization project enables the NATO E-3A fleet to meet current and foreseen European air traffic management requirements,” said Brig. Gen. Mike Hain, general manager, NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Programme Management Agency.

The first modernized NATO AWACS plane was modified at Boeing facilities in Seattle and delivered to NATO in November 2016. The remaining 13 aircraft underwent modernization work in Manching, Germany.