Chile now has two Boeing E-3D Sentry radar planes, which were from the United Kingdom

On Friday, August 19, at the Pudahuel Air Base of the 2nd Air Brigade, with the presence of the Minister of National Defense Maya Fernández Allende; the Commander in Chief of Aeronautics, Air Force General Arturo Merino Núñez; and the British Ambassador to Chile Louise De Sousa, the incorporation ceremony of the Boeing E-3D Sentry Mk1 aircraft was held.

The Boeing E-3D Sentry were purchased by the Chilean Air Force through a partnership between the United Kingdom and the Chilean government. Among the modifications the RAF has requested for its E-3Ds are the addition of an in-flight refueling probe, electronic support measurement (ESM) pods on the wingtips, increased maritime patrol capabilities, datalink, radios and more.

The incorporation of these weapons systems will allow the Chilean Air Force to replace the Boeing EC-707 “Cóndor” aircraft, which was in operation for more than 25 years and was decommissioned after the end of its operational useful life.

The EC-707 Condor of the Chilean Air Force, which is being retired. Photo: Hippocamelus (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Minister of National Defense considered the incorporation of this capacity as excellent news, “very important for Chile, for the defense of our sovereignty and also because it will provide vital support in other tasks in times of peace”.

Meanwhile, the Commander-in-Chief of the FACh indicated that “today is a very important day for the Chilean Air Force, because we have recovered a capacity that we had lost with the Condor plane, which was decommissioned due to obsolescence, so the arrival of the Sentry aircraft allows us to maintain control of the airspace and also contribute with our versatile means in other types of operations in direct support to the community. At the same time, I would like to thank the Minister of National Defense and the Ambassador for their support in the success of this program”.

E-3D Sentry Chile — Photo: Chilean Air Force/Disclosure

Os E-3D selected by FACh ZH 101 (c/n 24109/993), ZH 103 (c/n 24111/1004) and ZH 106 (c/n 24114/1011) are registered, the Chilean source told the portal. The aircraft were also nicknamed Doc, Happy and Grumpy.

The E-3D Sentry Mk1, mounted on a Boeing 707 platform and equipped with four CFM56-2 engines, can fly at altitudes that optimize the performance of its AN/APY-2 rotary radar, capable of 'link' 600 targets of interest simultaneously.