The sale of two Boeing E-3D Sentry airborne early warning aircraft (AEW) to the Chilean Air Force has been confirmed by the UK Ministry of Defense.
“Two E-3D Sentry aircraft will be transferred to the Chilean air force following a period of crew training in the UK,” the British government said, according to Flight Global.
The negotiation was revealed in January, but so far not confirmed by both governments. The Royal Air Force (RAF) withdrew its last E-3D Sentry from service between September and October 2021.
The United Kingdom has ordered the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail as a replacement, the first aircraft to be delivered in 2023. Until then, the RAF depends on NATO E-3s to carry out missions of the kind.
Chile, in turn, currently operates a Boeing 707 converted to AEW, the EB-707 Condór, which received an avionics package supplied by IAI in the 1980s.
Although both the E-3D and EB-707 are based on the 707 jetliner, the British aircraft are equipped with more economical CFM-56 turbofans.
There is still the possibility that Chile will receive a third E-3D Sentry that would be used as a source of spare parts, but the UK Ministry of Defense has not confirmed the information.
