Inflight200 IFE3USAF605 - Boeing E-3B Sentry1/200 Scale Diecast ModelTail Code OK/76-1605, 960th AACS, USAF, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma

Inflight200 IFE3USAF605

Inflight200 IFE3USAF605 is a 1/200 scale diecast model of the Boeing E-3B Sentry, tail code OK/ 76-1605 of the 960th Airborne Air Control Squadron (960th AACS), United States Air Force (USAF).

960th AACS, USAF

The 960th Airborne Air Control Squadron (960th AACS) is a unit of the United States Air Force (USAF) and is part of the 552nd Air Control Wing. It is stationed at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB) in Oklahoma and operates the E-3 Sentry aircraft.

The squadron was initially formed as the 60th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) in January 1941 and served in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. In July 1979, it was renamed the Airborne Warning and Control Support Squadron and transitioned to operating the Boeing E-3 Sentry. In January 2001, it was redesignated as the 960th 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.