For more than 40 years, NATO countries and units have been able to rely on the support of NATO's Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (NAEW&CF). The NAEW&CF operates a fleet of 14 Boeing E-3A Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) aircraft equipped with long-range radar and passive sensors capable of detecting air and surface contacts over large distances. It conducts a wide range of missio
ns from peacetime air policing, support to counter-terrorism, evacuation operations, embargo, initial entry and crisis response to the full spectrum of wartime missions. NAEW&C holds a unique place in NATO military history because it is the first multinational flying unit established by the Alliance and 18 NATO member nations participate in the programme. Its mission is to perform all surveillance and battle management tasks ordered by the NAEW&C Force Commander on behalf of Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATOs highest military leadership in Europe. The NAEW&CF has two units with operational capability: The NATO E-3A Component in Geilenkirchen, Germany, with 14 E-3A aircraft and the E-3D Component of the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Waddington, UK. The six E-3D aircraft will be crewed solely by RAF personnel un 2021. From 2023 the UK will contribute with three E-7 Aircrafts.
20 NATO member nations participate in the NAEW&CF programme: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuanian, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Seventeen of these nations provide military personnel to the Force (Luxembourg does not provide military personnel).