【4月10日】看軍聞學英語

■林國賓

原文：

Finland’s integration into NATO’s air command structure continues to deepen, with the Finnish Air Force confirming that a NATO E-3A Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft conducted a mission in Finnish airspace for the first time.

The Finnish Air Force said the sortie involved joint flight operations between Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighters and the NATO E-3A Sentry airborne early-warning platform. The mission marked the first time the NATO-operated aircraft had flown a task over Finland since the country joined the alliance in 2023.

Airborne early-warning aircraft such as the E-3A Sentry play a central role in NATO air operations. Equipped with a large rotating radar dome capable of detecting aircraft and other aerial threats over long distances, the platform functions as a flying command post able to coordinate fighter aircraft, track targets, and support air-defense missions across wide areas.

The aircraft type, however, is approaching the end of its service life.　The alliance initially selected the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail as its successor in 2023 under the Allied Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) initiative, with plans to acquire six aircraft.

中譯：

芬蘭持續深化融入北約空中指揮架構的進程。芬蘭空軍證實，一架北約E-3A「哨兵」空中預警與管制系統飛機，首次在芬蘭領空執行任務。

芬蘭空軍表示，此次任務包含芬蘭F/A-18「大黃蜂」戰機與北約E-3A「哨兵」空中預警平臺的聯合飛行行動。這也是自芬蘭於2023年加入北約以來，北約操作的該型飛機首次在芬蘭上空執行任務。

E-3A「哨兵」這類空中預警機，在北約空中作戰扮演核心角色。該平臺配備大型旋轉雷達圓盤，可在遠距離偵測飛機與其他空中威脅，並作為空中指揮所運作，能協調戰機、追蹤目標，並支援廣大範圍的防空作戰任務。

不過，這型飛機已逐漸接近服役壽命終點。北約2023年在「盟軍未來監視與管制計畫」架構下，選定波音E-7「楔尾」預警機作為接替機型，並計畫採購6架。

-關鍵軍語-

※early-warning：早期預警

※flying command post：空中指揮所