Here's Why No One Can Attacks AWACS Aircraft

AWACS aircraft are indispensable components of modern military operations, providing essential surveillance, command, and control capabilities. Their advanced technology, strategic operational tactics, robust protective measures, and the deterrent effect of potential escalations contribute to their relative safety in conflicts. Consequently, despite their significant importance, AWACS aircraft remain largely unscathed, highlighting their strategic and tactical invulnerability in modern warfare.

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[PWO]

AWACS do get targeted and taken out ... in war games. I recall one exercise in the early 1990s where F-15s from Holloman were defending a local bombing range from attacking F-111s from Cannon. Early on, the Eagles smoked all the Varks before any could reach their targets with the help of the AWACS. Vark drivers became frustrated and came up with a plan to first take out the AWACS before striking the targets. It worked and the Varks were able to hit all their targets at the range. After that, the exercise rules were changed making the E-3 off limits. Its a challenge to take one out, but not impossible.

[wxmyjnsn]

My son is an aircrew member on one of these. It is an impressive system even for its age.

[redpillcommando]

Dear USAF. I worked on both the USAF E3 and the Australian Wedgetail. You are going to love the E7.

[jeffalvich]

Myself and my wife worked at Hughes Aircraft Company who designed and built the avionics systems. My wife worked at the radar systems group. I remember when the scientists at the Hughes research laboratories in Malibu California created the ability for the radar band width to move instead of the dome or antenna move/rotate. The new generation which has been out for a while now is well beyond that

[artistjoh]

In the Ukraine War, Australian Wedgetail E7's have been flying over Poland but can see across the battlefield. Russian cannot shoot them down because they cannot do it without starting a war with Poland and Australia. Similarly the US has been flying early warning aircraft in International space over the Black Sea. Russia is very limited in what it can do if any attempt at downing the aircraft means launching a much larger war with enemies far more capable than Ukraine.

Sometimes it is just politics and fear that keeps the aircraft safe.

[johnorourke]

Conceptually your statement is correct. However, the reality is AWACS flies a lot without fighter support due to weather restrictions for fighters. I experienced Soviet Aircraft that broke our safety perimeter. Another event occurred with a foreign fighter got within 20 miles of us; that was an interesting ride!

[josephwang]

"There's a reason no AWACS has ever been lost in combat."
The United States (and the world) is fortunate that there has been no direct combat with near-peer states since WW2. Russia has lost two of their AWACS in recent months in its war against Ukraine (one on the ground and one in the air). It's likely that China wants/intends to destroy or disable USAF AWACS and tankers (and other combat aircraft) while they are still on the ground using waves of relatively cheap drones. The lack of sufficient aircraft shelters at most USAF bases around the world makes this a real risk, and the USAF (and Navy and Army) need to prepare with haste for this event.

[Roadie_]

i sure hope the air force is NOT drinking this Kool Ade

[ptaalman]

I had the honour of being able to walk through an AWAC when it was static at the Quinte Air Show, Trenton AFB (CFB Trenton), Trenton, Ontario, Canada back in the late 1990s. I have the decal they gave me on my tool box. At the time, no inside photos were allowed.

[rhetta]

Is it so hard to proofread and spell check your video titles?

[jamesmaddison]

Theyre not defenseless. We know awacs and other airborne systems will be the primary targets in any air engagement with near peer countries. Theyre loaded with ecm's, chaff etc, when i was a systems op on the jstars we even tested tow decoys and other deployable countermeasures

[boswell]

As a Captain on E-3 back in Desert Storm, I was on station in one of the Saudi Sword areas when an Iraqi fighter was getting too close.

“Jeremiah” in Dhahran failed to provide us with fighter cover.

So I went off station to obtain a safe distance.
Was told we were HVA (High Value Asset) but wasn’t that day!

[acemt]

based on history Not current technology or threats

[fredjoeme]

"No One Can Attacks" English much?

[meatpopsicle]

Who wrote the title of your video? Is that Engrish you're using?

[bruceincremona]

58 seconds into the video and I'm already being bombarded with advertisements

[fionajarnefeldt]

This explains why AWACS Thunderhead and AWACS Bandog never got attacked.

[ryanparker]

Think it was in the 80’s that the RAF actually got through the defensive screen of an AWACS and nothing stood between the F3 and the AWACS but the AWACS spotted them just in time and managed to fly away to safety but found out later that the F3 had to abort the chase because of low fuel but they all agreed if it wasn’t for that the F3 would of caught them.

[Will-dndq]

Post 911 pre war invasion i saw 4 helos flying low in sny over trees. Way lower then any weed searching chopper. Then just afterward saw q awacs crazy low in air just above the highest flying chopper an a lil ways behind it. The thing looked like a large suv size. So it was pretty close. Then later weeks on i look up one day to see 2 jets refueling from 2 tankers. Saw between cloud cover so pretty high. Yeah that was fun times.

[ShaunG]

Actually, while none have been shot down in a war zone, by the USAF's own admission during a ‘Red Flag’ exercise some years ago, an RAF Tornado was able to breach an AWACS fighter screen and got close enough that the AWACS was considered to be within the missile kill range of the Tornado. And the AWACS was then "taken out of the exercise". I tried to find the link to the original article on here but I can’t find it.