[2] In the early 1980s, the United States Air Force began seeking a specialized surveillance plane for the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group (53rd WEG) which, for the sake of range safety, needs to ensure territorial waters are clear when aerial targets, drones, missiles and prototypes are in test flights.

[3] The aircraft's first flight was done in secrecy in 1987 before entering service the next year in June with the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron (82nd ATS) out of Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.

[3] During live missile launches and other dangerous military operations, the E-9A, serves as a surveillance platform to make sure that no civilian boats or planes are present in the Gulf of Mexico seas.

At Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, the E-9A supports the development, evaluation, and operational testing of air-to-air weapons systems by providing essential radar data about the locations and movement of civilian boats.

Apart from United States Air Force markings, the main distinguishing feature is the 9.1 meter long antenna of the AN/APS-128D multimode X-band surveillance radar conformally mounted on the lower right side of the fuselage.