Is this the Block 40/45 E-3 Sentry (possibly designated E-3G?)

Sentinel Chicken

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A friend posted this on my forum today, it was taking off from Boeing Field in Seattle. It appears to be an E-3 Sentry but has a tail cone housing for what looks like a VLF antenna (though there's no reason for it to be deployed...could just be one of those flight test attachments for air data) but there are forward fuselage fairings that are much larger in area but seem shallower than what's on the Block 30/35 Sentry aircraft.

I've never seen this Sentry variant......
 

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Yes, it's certainly new to me as well - definitely not the known E-3C configuration.
 
It's the one test E-3. And judging by the photograph at the link below it's been in this configuration for a while:


Aircraft 31674 has been serving the Block 40/45 test aircraft since 2007, so it is feasible some of those lumps and bumps will make it on to the operational birds.

This USAF news story seems to confirm the E-3G designation for the Block 40/45:

 
That's interesting.... and two weeks later and it's still here.
 

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