Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS)

The Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) falls under the Research, Development, Test & Evaluation budget activity of the Air Force. The primary mission of AWACS is to provide Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2) for joint, allied, and coalition operations, humanitarian relief, and homeland defense. The program aims to achieve this by focusing on several key efforts: E-3 Replacement, E-3 Training, Support, and Infrastructure (TSI), E-3 Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C2ISR), E-3 Communication Network Upgrade (CNU), and E-3 AWACS Communications Integration Program (ACIP). These efforts include modernizing the AWACS platform with improved kill-chain effectiveness, enhanced reliability/availability, reduced operating costs, and integration with joint and coalition forces in a net-centric environment.

The specific objectives of the program include developing future capabilities for the AWACS weapon system to ensure successful integration with joint and coalition forces in a net-centric environment. This involves investigating and analyzing potential improvements in areas such as materiel solution analysis and technology development. Additionally, the program aims to provide a Link 16 capability with high-jam-resistance, high-speed, crypto-secure computer-to-computer connectivity in support of various military platforms. Furthermore, the program seeks to enhance communication capabilities through the replacement of existing radios with new ones capable of communicating via multiple waveforms. Overall, the program's goals are centered around enhancing the operational effectiveness, suitability, life-cycle cost, and system capabilities of the AWACS platform to meet established capability needs identified in various documents.