First French AWACS aircraft passes through MLU

The first of four French Air Force Boeing E-3F AWACS) aircraft has passed through its mid-life upgrade (MLU), with the remainder set to follow by the end of 2016.
Boeing and Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) have upgraded the aircraft's electrical, mechanical, and structural systems, and mission hardware, in a process that took eight months. The first MLU-upgraded E-3F will now undergo ground and flight tests at Avord Air Base before being delivered to the French Air Force later in 2014. This first aircraft is serial numbered 202.
Improvements include an enhanced primary AWACS display; an improved identification friend-or-foe (IFF) system; better combat identification capabilities; the Link 16 datalink; improved sensor and datalink integration through the multi-source integration process; an increase in the number of mission console stations from the current 10 to 14; upgraded computer processing equipment and battle-management tools as well as an open-system architecture.
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