THE FIFTH and final ex-RAF Raytheon Sentinel R1 battlefield surveillance aircraft departed RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, UK, on March 21, almost two years after the platform was withdrawn from operational service and sold as second-hand assets to an unconfirmed US customer. The aircraft (formerly ZJ690, now registered as N690BD) was initially due to leave Waddington in 2022, later postponed to January of this year, but issues identified during multiple air tests led to its final departure being delayed. After departing the Lincolnshire base, the Sentinel was flown to Hawarden Airport in North Wales, where it will likely undergo some work with Raytheon before it continues its journey across the Atlantic.
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