In addition to replacing the Commando Helicopter Force Sea Kings, there is also a project to replace the Sea King in the Airborne Surveillance and Control mission, which has seen a number of proposals put forward, based on the type of aircraft carrier the platform would be expected to operate from.

* AST, Airborne Surveillance Technician aboard the USAF E-3, Cooks food and delivers water to USAF crewmembers.

* US Army E co 3 / 60th Inf Reg ( later designated: E Co .( LRSC ) 109th MI Battalion ( Airborne ) 9th ID Long Range Surveillance Company ( LRSC ) ( 1984 ))

* HAL 748 Airborne Surveillance Platform

* Airborne Ground Surveillance a class of military airborne radar system used for detecting and tracking ground targets, such as vehicles and slow moving helicopters.

* Alliance Ground Surveillance a NATO programme to acquire an Airborne Ground Surveillance capability

* Airborne Ground Surveillance ( joint NATO project )

It reformed after the lessons of the 1982 South Atlantic campaign had been learned, on 8 November 1984 and the unit now operates the Westland Sea King Mk7 Airborne Surveillance and Control ( ASaC ) helicopter.

Two of ESC's most well-known developments were the Airborne Warning and Control System ( AWACS ), developed in the 1970s, and the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System ( JointSTARS ), developed in the 1980s.

LRS units ( LRSU ) are Infantry company-size elements that are assets within a Battlefield Surveillance Brigade's Reconnaissance & Surveillance Squadron ( R & S Squadron ) designated as US Army Cavalry but are functionally Airborne Infantry units.

Airborne reconnaissance missions are conducted by the previously mentioned three types of units in the Army: Long Range Surveillance ( LRS ) units, the Regimental Recon Company ( formerly the Regimental Recon Detachment ) of the 75th Ranger Regiment, and various Special Forces A-Teams.

LRS units ( Airborne Infantry ) are not to be confused with the new Army concept of Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition ( RSTA ) units ( a non-Airborne capable Cavalry unit ).

* XVIII Airborne Corps Long Range Surveillance Recruiting

** Airborne Ground Surveillance ( AGS )

*** Ta-Ki 1 Model 1 Airborne Surveillance Radar

*** Ta-Ki 1 Model 2 Airborne Surveillance Radar

*** Ta-Ki 1 Model 3 Airborne Surveillance Radar

In the modern United States Air Force, the Enlisted Aircrew Badge is still issued to 1A0X1 ( Inflight Refueling ), 1A1X1 ( Flight Engineer ), 1A2X1 ( Aircraft Loadmaster ), 1A3X1 ( Airborne Mission Systems Specialist ), 1A4X1 ( Airborne Operation Specialist ), 1A6X1 ( Flight Attendant ), 1A7X1 ( Aerial Gunner ), 1A8X1 ( Airborne Cryptologic Linguist ), 1A8X2 ( Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance ( ISR ) Operator ), X4N0X1 ( Aeromedical Evacuation Specialist ).

* Hard Drivin's Airborne ( unreleased prototype )

The prototype was designated the Light Tank T9 ( Airborne ), and was designed so that it could be transported underneath a Douglas C-54 Skymaster transport aircraft, although its dimensions also allowed it to fit inside a General Aircraft Hamilcar glider.

At a conference in May 1941, the Ordnance Department chose the Marmon-Herrington design and requested that the company produce a prototype tank, which was completed in late 1941 ; it was designated the Light Tank T9 ( Airborne ) by the company and the Ordnance Department.

Image: ELORV. jpg | Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division test prototype Off-Road Vehicles.

Between 1942 and 1943, 3, 641 units ( plus a prototype and some pilot models ) were built and although it was not much used by the SOE, some were issued to the British 1st and 6th Airborne Divisions and some were used at Arnhem during Operation Market Garden.

While with the 82nd Airborne Division, he volunteered to join the Airborne Test Section, a special unit testing experimental parachutes, and he made some 150 jumps with the section over the next two years.

Chapman was one of the early pioneers of the American airborne concept, commanding the experimental 88th Airborne Infantry Battalion in late 1941 when he was a Lieutenant Colonel, before going on to take command of the 13th Airborne Division.

The K-ration first saw use in 1942, when it was issued to U. S. Airborne troops on an experimental basis.

A number of pre-production " pilot " machines were built for further testing and experimental modifications at the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment at RAF Sherburn-in-Elmet near Leeds in September 1942, including dropping them from aircraft to land by parachute.

The battalion was formed on 4 March 1941 as Company A, 502d Parachute Infantry, an experimental unit established to test the doctrine and tactics of parachute assault, and was later activated on 1 July 1941, at Fort Benning, Georgia as the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, and joined the 101st Airborne Division in August 1942.

* Airborne Early Warning Association website

During the 80's the Airborne Early Warning / Ground Environment Integration Segment ( AEGIS ) upgraded the original NADGE systems with the possibility to integrate the AWACS ( the E-3 Sentry built by Boeing ) information into its visual displays.

In March 2009, U. S. Navy Reserve Airborne Early Warning Squadron 77 ( VAW-77 ) relocated its six E-2C aircraft from NAS Atlanta, GA to Belle Chasse.

His last two enlisted assignments were in Attack Squadron 144 and Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 11.

In 2003, the Indian Air Force ( IAF ) and Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO ) began a study of requirements for developing an Airborne Early Warning and Control ( AEWAC ) system.

* Airborne Early Warning Association website

* NATO Airborne Early Warning Force, Maisieres, Belgium

* NATO Airborne Early Warning Force ( NAEWF )

During the Vietnam War, a detachment of the 552d Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing which operated C-121 Constellation AWACS aircraft operated from Itazuke, but the stable situation in South Korea led to the gradual phase down of the base and personnel were withdrawn for other duties.

* 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, 1 April 1966 – 4 December 1969

* 552d Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, 1 April 1966 – 15 September 1969

* 552d Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, 15 September – 15 November 1969

The main themes being 90 years since the first ever RAF air show, at RAF Hendon, 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and 35 years of Airborne Early Warning.

* July 6 – The U. S. Navy forms its first two carrier-based airborne early warning squadrons, Airborne Early Warning Squadron 1 ( VAW-1 ) and Airborne Early Warning Squadron 2 ( VAW-2 ).

* July 11 – A U. S. Air Force 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing EC-121H Warning Star crashes in the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing 16 of the 19-man crew.

* November 11 – A U. S. Air Force 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing EC-121H Warning Star crashes in the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing the entire 19-man crew.

* April 25 – A U. S. Air Force 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing EC-121H Warning Star crashes in the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing 15 of the 16-man crew.

Reconnaissance is performed by 17sq with their RF-5E and the Boeing E-3A is the Airborne Early Warning platform operated by 18sq.

The squadron moved to the Airborne Early Warning ( AEW ) role on Avro Shackletons at Kinloss in 1971, moving to RAF Lossiemouth in 1973, where it stayed until its disbandment in 1991.

A possible replacement for Sea King ASaC7 in the Airborne Early Warning role, are the spare FAA Merlins that wont be upgraded to HM2 standard, the spare Merlins could be upgraded to carry the same equipment and Cerberus radar suite as the Sea King ASaC7.