{"id":24517,"date":"2019-08-08T10:00:58","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T10:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/08\/08\/operators-of-natos-surveillance-plane-reveal-what-they-want-in-its-replacement\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:07:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:07:21","slug":"operators-of-natos-surveillance-plane-reveal-what-they-want-in-its-replacement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/a-modern-nato\/2019\/08\/08\/operators-of-natos-surveillance-plane-reveal-what-they-want-in-its-replacement\/","title":{"rendered":"Operators of NATO\u2019s surveillance plane reveal what they want in its replacement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AMARI AIR BASE, Estonia \u2014 As NATO looks to replace its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2016\/02\/11\/nato-to-backfill-awacs-assist-europe-with-migrants\/\" target=_blank>E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) fleet<\/a>, it has asked operators for feedback on what technologies to incorporate in its future system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While NATO leaders have not yet decided whether a single platform or a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/2019\/02\/06\/the-air-forces-jstars-alternative-has-a-new-architect-wait-whats-an-architect\/\" target=_blank>family of systems<\/a> will take over the early airborne warning mission, &#8220;I think the most essential thing is the capability &#8230; be absolutely interoperable. I think that\u2019s the key, that is the most essential thing,\u201d said Lt. Col. Hans Growla, a crew member and public affairs officer for the NATO E-3A component in Geilenkirchen, Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Growla declined to comment on what specific technologies could be integrated into an AWACS replacement to grow its capability, citing sensitivities.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/munich-security-forum\/2018\/02\/14\/natos-tanker-awacs-programs-see-membership-increase\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-844056722.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">NATO\u2019s tanker, AWACS programs see membership increase<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Canada has decided to rejoin NATO\u2019s airborne warning and control system program program, while Belgium has agreed to buy into the alliance\u2019s tanker program \u2014 a pair of moves expected to strengthen NATO\u2019s indigenous air capability.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In June, the head of the NATO organization that manages the E-3A inventory <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-france-airshow-nato-awacs\/nato-faces-big-bill-if-it-does-not-pick-awacs-successor-soon-officials-idUSKCN1TG0C1\" target=_blank>told Reuters<\/a> that the organization was racing against the clock to choose an AWACS replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO plans to spend $750 million for the final service life extension of the aircraft, which would keep it flying until 2035, said Michael Gschossmann, director of the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Programme Management Agency. But if it delays making a decision on a replacement for too long, it could get stuck paying for additional work on the current E-3A aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have to get moving on this. We have to ensure that the studies move along quickly. We need a reality check,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One option, Gschossmann said, would be to purchase the E-7 Wedgetail, a Boeing aircraft currently operated by Australia, Turkey and South Korea. The United Kingdom also plans to purchase the aircraft. \u201cThat would give us a basic capability that could be expanded in the future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/a-modern-nato\/2019\/07\/22\/will-us-f-35s-ever-operate-from-turkey-the-us-air-forces-top-general-wont-rule-it-out\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-638257966.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Will US F-35s ever operate from Turkey? The US Air Force\u2019s top general won\u2019t rule it out.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein says the military relationship between the U.S. Air Force and its Turkish counterpart remains strong.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like the units that conduct Baltic air policing, the NATO E-3A component has found itself similarly taxed after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, with the number of surveillance missions increasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is a clear shift from training to real world missions\/operations,\u201d Growla said, with a growing presence over the skies of Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. \u201cFlying in northeast Poland gives you a great view into the Baltic states. We don\u2019t need to be physically flying in the airspace of the Baltics, we can stay a bit more south and see everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the high operational tempo, Growla said NATO\u2019s E-3A component is making do with its 14 AWACS planes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Ukraine crisis was starting when we were still deployed to Afghanistan. \u2026 [For a time] we had more or less two tasking, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2016\/09\/26\/nato-to-deploy-e-3-awacs-to-middle-east-as-early-as-october\/\" target=_blank>and then ISIL<\/a>,&#8221; he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. &#8220;We were really busy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently, 17 nations participate in NATO\u2019s early-warning-and-control force, which operates 14 E-3As and six E-3Ds: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Canada announced in February it would rejoin the NATO E-3A mission, after dropping out in 2014 to cut costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this year, NATO wrapped up a two-year-long effort to modernize its E-3A aircraft, replacing the fleet\u2019s 1970s-era flight instruments with glass cockpits that include five full-color displays and modern avionics that are easier to maintain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of those upgraded AWACS planes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/a-modern-nato\/2019\/07\/17\/outgoing-estonian-air-chief-nato-needs-to-improve-its-response-time\/\" target=\"_blank\">made the trip to Amari Air Base, Estonia,<\/a> for an air show commemorating the Estonian Air Force\u2019s 100th anniversary. It was the first open display of a NATO E-3A in Estonia, with visitors able to walk inside the aircraft to view the cockpit and crew stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe want people to see the NATO asset that is flying more or less daily, touch it, and see the guys who are making their airspace safer,\u201d Growla said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NATO is still yet to decide whether a single platform or a system of systems will replace its E-3A AWACS fleet of surveillance planes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":52203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":104,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[104,7,160,46,11,36,30],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3384],"class_list":["post-24517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-modern-nato","category-air","category-daily-news-roundup","category-europe","category-global","category-newsletters","category-smr"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"YEEWB4JRSRDGLBEQMINMVMWEVI","arc_canonical_url":"\/smr\/a-modern-nato\/2019\/08\/08\/operators-of-natos-surveillance-plane-reveal-what-they-want-in-its-replacement\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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