An E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft assigned to Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., tests new hot weather equipment Aug. 19, 2019, at Luke AFB, Ariz. The rotating radar dome, 30 feet in diameter, is held above the fuselage by two struts. The radar subsystem permits surveillance of more than 250 miles from the Earth’s surface up into the stratosphere, over land or water to identify and track friendly and enemy low-flying aircraft.
 

An E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft assigned to Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., sits on the transient ramp Aug. 19, 2019, at Luke AFB, Ariz. The AWACS is staging operations at Luke as they test new hot-weather equipment. The airborne platform is used to deliver weather surveillance, navigation, command, control and communications for commanders of U.S. and allied military forces. The radar and computer subsystems can gather positions and tracking information on both friendly and enemy aircraft, ships or ground forces.