The Airborne Early Warning Association (AEWA) has commissioned Aviation Artist
Darby Perrin to create an original painting and Prints
to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the USAF E-3 AWACS. The subject is a full-color image of
two USAF Block 30/35 E-3's parked on the ramp in the early morning hours (known to crew members
as "O' Dark Thirty") as ground maintenance prepares the aircraft for a launch.
This print depicts the feel of an early morning launch and the way the lights reflect off the
aircraft, the activity in the shadows, headlights and flashing beacons on the ground
vehicle, the crew filing off the bus, all against that dark back drop of the airfield landscape
just before dawn. You literally can smell the jet fuel and anticipate the successful launch of
another AWACS mission.
This is a limited edition print and there will only be 552 copies made. The full-color
lithographs are signed and numbered by the artist - Darby Perrin. The bottom border contains the
30th Anniversary Logo, the 552 ACW Patch and the AEWA Logo and the title O'Dark Thirty.