The E-3 Sentry is the most sophisticated airborne command post ever devised. The airframe chosen for the job was the Boeing Model 707, which was equipped with state-of-the art electronics inside and topped with a 30-foot rotating radome. The aircraft are designated AWACS; the acronym stands for Airborne Warning and Control System. The first of two dozen E-3A Sentrys were delivered in 1977, and ...