E-3F Sentry
ICAO E3CFThe CFM-engined Sentry, flown by France. Live E-3F positions, distinct from the NATO and USAF fleet.
Flying right now
Live · 30sAirframe
- Manufacturer
- Boeing
- Role
- Airborne early warning and control
- Class
- L4J — Landplane, 4 jet engines
- Crew
- Up to 19
- First flight
- 1975
- In service
- 1991
Operators airborne
About the E-3F Sentry
France and the United Kingdom bought their AWACS aircraft with CFM56 turbofans rather than the older TF33 engines used by the US Air Force and NATO, and that difference gives them a separate ADS-B designator — which is why they have their own page here.
France operates four E-3Fs from Avord and has kept them modernised, with a further upgrade programme extending them into the 2030s. Britain retired its E-3D fleet in 2021 in favour of the E-7 Wedgetail.
French aircraft transmit reasonably consistently, so this page sees more traffic than the small fleet size suggests. The mission is identical to the TF33-engined Sentry: long orbits, directing other aircraft.
Callsign prefixes
- CTM
- Cotam — French Air and Space Force
- FAF
- French Air Force AWACS flights
How to recognise it
- —A rotating radar disc above the rear fuselage, on a 707 airframe.
- —Large-diameter CFM56 engines with visibly wider nacelles than the TF33-powered aircraft.
- —Long constant-altitude orbits, often over eastern France or the Baltic.
Common questions
+ What is the difference between the E-3F and the E-3A?
Engines, mostly. The E-3F and the retired British E-3D use CFM56 turbofans; the US and NATO E-3s use older TF33s. That difference is enough to give them separate ADS-B type codes.
+ How many E-3Fs are there?
Four, operated by France from Avord. They have been progressively modernised and are planned to serve into the 2030s.
+ Did Britain fly this version?
Yes, as the E-3D Sentry AEW1, retired in 2021. The Royal Air Force replaced it with the E-7 Wedgetail.