AYK-250
1 verified pilot fly this model on HireDronePilot
The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing.
In the mid-1960s, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) was seeking an aircraft to replace its piston-engined Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star, which had been in service for over a decade. After issuing preliminary development contracts to three companies, the USAF picked Boeing to construct two airframes to test Westinghouse Electric's and Hughes's competing radars. Both radars used pulse-Doppler technology, with Westinghouse's design emerging as the contract winner. Testing on the first production E-3 began in October 1975.
The first USAF E-3 was delivered in March 1977, and during the next seven years, 34 aircraft were manufactured. E-3s were also purchased by NATO (18), the United Kingdom (7), France (4) and Saudi Arabia (5). In 1991, when the last aircraft was delivered, E-3s participated in the Persian Gulf War, playing a crucial role in directing coalition aircraft against Iraqi forces.
The aircraft's capabilities have been maintained and enhanced through numerous upgrades. In 1996, Westinghouse Electric's Defense & Electronic Systems division was acquired by Northrop Corporation and renamed Northrop Grumman Mission Systems; the company supports the E-3's radar. In 2026, it was reported the E-3 was expected to remain in US service until 2035. The U.S. Air Force had planned to replace the E-3 with the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, but in 2025 intended instead to use space-based technology including the proposed Golden Dome and the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. This planned cancellation was subsequently reversed in May 2026.
Also known as: AYK-250
AYK-250 is flown by 1 verified drone pilot on HireDronePilot, across 1 country (India).
Pilots who fly it are usually hired for land & topographic surveying, surveillance & security patrols.
Like any pilot in our network, they are booked with an agreed scope, schedule and a signed agreement before the flight, and payment is released only once you approve the work.
