RAF AEW
To take on an AEW role, VIII Sqn was re-formed at RAF Kinloss on 1 January 1972 using Avro Shackleton AEW.2s.
It moved to RAF Lossiemouth on 14 August 1973, where it stayed until 1991 when it moved to RAF Waddington near Lincoln and re-equipped with Boeing E-3 Sentry.
The first Sentry was handed over to the RAF on 26 March 1991 and the last (No. 7) was handed over during May 1992.
The E-7 Wedgetail AEW Mk1 is the RAF’s successor to the E-3D Sentry and will provide a 5th Generation Airborne Early Warning and Control capability (AEW&C), with a Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA), that is interoperable and interchangeable with key allies.
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