US Air Force prepares next stage of E-3 Sentry modernisation
An E-3 Sentry takes off at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (Photo: US Air Force)
The USAF intends to conduct the second phase of the DRAGON programme from FY2026 to FY2030, while the future of the E3 replacement remains unknown.
The US Air Force (USAF) Materiel Command recently issued two presolicitations for the second phase of the E-3 AWACS Sentry Diminishing Manufacturing Sources Replacement of Avionics for Global Operations and Navigation (DRAGON) programme.
The modernisation effort is intended to avoid creating a capability gap in the service’s airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) inventory over the coming years, since the next steps in acquiring its substitute, the E-7 Wedgetail, remain unclear.
The USAF plans to award five-year firm-fixed price contracts for a total of 35 repairs to be conducted between FY2026 and FY2030. It will involve substituting 1970s analogue
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