The U.S. Air Force currently has 31 E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft in the inventory. A more recent report says only 16 are still remaining in the fleet and that not all of them are available for tasking at any given time.

Quick answer

If you mean total inventory on paper , the answer is 31.

If you mean the active, currently remaining fleet , a 2026 report says 16.

Why the numbers differ

The Air Force fact sheet gives the official inventory figure.

More recent reporting indicates the fleet has been reduced further as older aircraft were retired, leaving 16 E-3s.

Simple takeaway

  • Official inventory: 31
  • Current remaining fleet: 16
  • Operational availability: fewer than the fleet total, because some aircraft are down for maintenance or not mission-ready

If you want, I can also break down how many AWACS the U.S. Air Force vs. Navy has.