How many years before the E-3A did the Tu-126 "Moss" enter…

How many years before the E-3A did the Tu-126 "Moss" enter service?

Short answer

The Tu-126 "Moss" entered service in 1965, while the USAF's first E-3 was delivered in March 1977, its introduction date. The Soviet prototype had flown on 23 January 1962, followed by eight production aircraft built between 1965 and 1968.

Published: November 4, 2026 · Updated: November 4, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How many years before the E-3A did the Tu-126 "Moss" enter service?

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An airborne radar for the northern coast

In 1958, growing concern over the possibility of a US nuclear attack on the USSR from the north led to a new requirement for airborne radar, a solution that avoided the problems and expense of trying to build a network of ground radars capable of covering the entire vast Soviet northern coast. For the system, it was decided to use the wider-fuselage Tupolev Tu-114. The first Tu-126 prototype flew on 23 January 1962. The prototype was followed by eight production aircraft, built between 1965 and 1968.

In service since 1965

The Tu-126 entered service in 1965, although Western intelligence did not identify it until 1968, when it appeared in a Soviet documentary.

The E-3 Sentry, delivered in 1977

Engineering, test and evaluation work on the first E-3 Sentry began in October 1975. The USAF's first E-3 was delivered in March 1977, the type's introduction date. Between 1977 and 1992, a total of 68 E-3s were built.