NATO wants to eventually replace its Cold War-era early warning aircraft, but will in the meantime upgrade the jets at a cost of $1 billion.

The move to improve the planes, flown by U.S. Air Force and multinational pilots, reflected a need to modernize air reconnaissance assets, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during a two-day meeting of alliance foreign ministers that opened Wednesday.

“I can confirm that we will sign a contract upgrading, modernizing the (current) AWACS fleet, one billion dollars,” Stoltenberg said, referring to the Aerial Early Warning and Control planes.

NATO operates 14 Boeing E-3A Sentry aircraft, the first of which were delivered by Boeing in 1982. They are registered in Luxembourg and are among the few military assets owned by the alliance, rather than its 29 member states.

The unit is based at Geilenkirchen, Germany, near the border with the Netherlands in the south. The E-3As are commanded on a rotational basis by either a U.S. Air Force or a German air force major general.

One likely upgrade would include changing the four old Pratt and Whitney TF-33 jet engines — first flown 60 years ago — with a modernized, more efficient power plant.

Stoltenberg also said that NATO would soon receive its first Global Hawk high-altitude surveillance drones, which will give commanders on the ground a better picture of combat situations.

Release diverse

Photo Rob Vogelaar