NATO E-3A Sentry AWACS

A depiction of an E-3A Sentry AWACS aircraft in NATO service. Modified from a Boeing 707 airframe the Sentry is a flying radar and communications centre for airborne early warning and control. Its most striking feature is the big radar disc on top of the rear fuselage, 30ft (9.1m) in diameter, which rotates in use at six revolutions a minute. It has a flight crew of four and between 13 and 19 operators. Its range is about 4,000 nautical miles or eight hours.

The airframe in this image is adapted from a US Air Force photo.