Herpa Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 – No. 8 Squadron, RAF Waddington - Operation Shader, RAF Akrotiri – ZH101 1/500

For the first time in many years, we are now releasing the E-3 Sentry in the 1/500 scale – produced from newly developed tooling. When planning for the new molds, we not only had the previous E-3A variant in mind, which is in service with NATO and the U.S. Air Force, but also the E-3F variant, as used by France, as well as the E-3D version – or AEW.1 as it is called in Great Britain. In addition to a new fuselage, the CFM turbofan engines required for the D and F variants have been newly designed, and further details added. The British variant in particular has additional, quite prominent sensor pods at the wing tips as well as an air refueling boom above the cockpit. Seven E-3D Sentry entered service in 1991 with the Royal Air Force and were immediately used to support air operations during the first Gulf War. The British AEW.1, more precisely our original with the registration ZH101, flew its very last mission over Iraq in 2021 as part of Operation Shader to combat ISIS. The aircraft of No. 8 Squadron had been deployed to Akrotiri Air Base in Cyprus, from where it took on valuable reconnaissance and command tasks for ground and naval units.