Inflight200 IFE3USAF352 - Boeing E-3B Sentry1/200 Scale Diecast ModelTail Code ZZ/77-0352, 961st AACS, USAF, Kadena AFB, Japan

Inflight200 IFE3USAF352

Inflight200 IFE3USAF352 is a 1/200 scale diecast model of the Boeing E-3B Sentry, tail code ZZ/ 77-0352 of the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron (961st AACS), United States Air Force (USAF), based at Kadena AFB, Japan.

961st AACS, USAF

The 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force (USAF) and is part of the 18th Wing. It is stationed at Kadena Air Force Base (AFB) in Japan and operates the E-3 Sentry aircraft.

The squadron was initially formed as the 61st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) in January 1941 and served in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. In December 1979, it was renamed the 961st Airborne Warning and Control Support Squadron and transitioned to operating the Boeing E-3 Sentry. In August 1994, redesignated as the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron.

Boeing E-3 Sentry

The E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, whose missions include surveillance, command, control, and communications. It first flew on February 9, 1972, and entered service on May 25, 1976. The aircraft is based on the Boeing 707-320B design and features a rotating dome, 9.1 meters (30 feet) in diameter, which houses the primary radar. This dome is mounted above the fuselage and supported by two fins.

Boeing manufactured a total of sixty-eight airframes before production ended in 1992. Of these, thirty-four went to the United States Air Force (USAF), eighteen to NATO, seven to the United Kingdom, four to France, and five to Saudi Arabia.

The flight crew consists of the aircraft commander, pilot, navigator, flight engineer, and a mission crew of 13 to 19 personnel. USAF and NATO variants use four Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-100/100A axial-flow turbofan engines, while other variants use the more powerful and efficient CFM-56 turbofan engines. These enhancements enable higher altitudes, extending the reach of radar surveillance and increasing both range and loiter time.