Airborne Early Warning Aircraft

Airborne early warning (AEW) has been used since 1941 but, until the computer revolution of the late 1970s, was restricted in its operation to maritime use. Since the 1980s, AEW aircraft have become the must-have force multiplier of any first-rate armed force and as such are worthy of analysis.From the RAF’s Wellington ACI of 1941 and the Elgar operations of 1944 to the Boeing E-7 Wedgetails that will enter service next year, the UK has paved the way in AEW technology, albeit not with the g...