Boeing (www.boeing.com) recently completed the first flight of a NATO Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft with modern flight-deck and avionics systems that replace 1970s-era analogue systems.

During the two-hour flight, testers evaluated five full-colour glass displays with customisable engine, navigation and radar data.

The systems performed better than expected, and the programme will now enter an extensive flight test qualification phase. Fourteen NATO AWACS will receive the flight-deck modernisation, and delivery of the first upgraded aircraft is scheduled for January 2016.

The upgrades ensure compliance with current and future air traffic control and navigation requirements, giving the aircraft broader access to airspace around the world. They also resolve recurring issues involving out-of-production avionics by using commercial off-the-shelf digital avionics.

The AWACS aircraft are based on the Boeing 707, and the upgrade to the first NATO AWACS is part of a $394 million contract awarded in 2012; 13 additional NATO AWACS will be upgraded as part of a $257 million modification that will begin in 2016 and be completed by 2018.