E-3 on the radar: Upgrade workload on horizon for OC-ALC

Published Aug. 6, 2009
By Howdy Stout
72 ABW/PA

Tinker AFB Okla. -- Tinker's Air Logistics Center will be doing the hands on work in a $44 million contract to upgrade the computer systems on the Air Force's fleet of E-3 AWACS aircraft.

The contract, awarded to Boeing but performed by the 566th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 557th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron, will involve the replacing of the existing 1970s-era computers with more modern LAN-type systems.

The first six aircraft of the Low-Rate Initial Production contract for the Block 40/45 upgrade will begin in November 2010 with the first modified AWAC entering service by June 2012. The last modified E-3 will roll out of the hangar by 2014.

"They're going to replace all the mission computer equipment," explains Audie Perkins, Block 40/45 program manager for the 557th.

The project is expected to increase the man-hours spent on the E-3s during depot maintenance by nearly two-thirds. The upgrades will occur during regularly-scheduled depot maintenance, with time in maintenance jumping from an average of 183 days to just over 260 days.

"We've not done upgrades of this magnitude to the E3 since the Block 30/35 upgrades," said Bill Baumann, Squadron Director for the 566th.

Under the terms of the contract, "Boeing will supply the parts, equipment and engineering," Mr. Baumann said. "The ALC will provide the installation labor, planning and scheduling."

The upgrades will take place concurrently with depot maintenance, which is normally scheduled for each aircraft every five years. However, the increase in the workload will most likely require the hiring of electrical and avionics specialists.

"It's a pretty substantial amount of work for one modification," Mr. Baumann said. The Block 40/45 upgrade involves the complete removal of the existing computers and mission control displays onboard the aircraft. They will be replaced with LAN-based computers and revised displays featuring more automation, intuitive point-and-click functions and drop-down menus. The computers will also feature greater processor power, which will allow the onboard systems to use the Air Force's Automated Air Tasking Orders and Airspace Coordination Order systems.

The new computer system will also speed the display and transmission of information to other aircraft through updated data links. This allows information collected by the AWACS on targets and threats to be relayed to friendly aircraft more quickly.

Aside from having faster, more capable computers onboard the AWACS, the new system will be easier to upgrade.

Communications equipment will also be updated with, among other things, new Ultra-High Frequency satellite communications. Navigation equipment will also be upgraded with Mode S transponders and Traffic-alert Collision Avoidance Systems.

These upgrades are expected to enhance the overall capabilities of the aircraft through the year 2035. Air Force AWACS were last updated nearly a decade ago with the Block 30/35 upgrades, which added GPS, the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System and Electronic Support Measures. The computers and software, however, still date from the 1970s when the aircraft was first developed and fielded.

Once work is completed on the Block 40/45 upgrades, the aircraft will be tested by the 552nd Air Control Wing based at Tinker, which operates the Air Force's fleet of 32 AWACS. The majority of the aircraft are normally based here while the remainder are forward deployed to Alaska, Japan or elsewhere. The aircraft are in high demand as surveillance, communications and command and control platforms in support of US operations worldwide.

The refurbished aircraft will reenter operational service once testing is successfully completed. It is expected that follow-on contracts will be awarded to upgrade the remainder of the AWACS fleet. There are a total of 32 E-3 AWACS aircraft in USAF service. Similar AWACS aircraft are operated by Saudi Arabia, France, Great Britain, NATO and Japan.