The Boeing E-767 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) developed as a natural progression from the E-3 Sentry following the closure of Boeing's 707 production line. The E-767 combines a Boeing 767-200ER airframe with the APY-2 development of the Sentry's APY-1 radar and mission system.
The first flight of the completed E-767 occurred on 9 August 1996 at Everett, Washington. To date only the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) has ordered the E-767, initially purchasing two in 1992, increasing the order to four in 1994. The first production E-767 is now entering an extensive testing and certification program with the aim of delivering the first two E-767s to the JASDF in 1998. Other military variants of the 767 are now under consideration, including tanker and strategic transport aircraft to replace the aging fleet of KC-135s and B707s in world wide military service.
