The US DoD and Boeing have finally agreed a pricetag for the first “prototype” E-7 airborne early warning aircraft for the USAF. This platform is commonly known as WEDGETAIL, but this is the name given to it by the Royal Australian Air Force and the USAF might still pick something else.

The contract is now expected to be finalized in August, allowing the program to progress after a protracted periods of negotiations which had tense moments over price. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall announced this decisive progress during the RIAT airshow in Great Britain and was backed by Andrew P. Hunter, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, who praised Boeing for the efforts made to get to a “fair” price.

The USAF made the decision to rapidly procure the E-7 WEDGETAIL because of growing concerns about the material state, capability and sustainability of the existing E-3 SENTRY fleet. In 2023, Boeing had been awarded an undefinitized contract with a potential maximum value of $1.2 billion, regarding initial work to define the E-7 standard for the USAF. The intent was to proceed very quickly with this program but the order for 2 prototypes has been held up by the price dispute. For now, despite these delays, it is still expected that the first E-7 will enter service in 2027.

The USAF has planned the acquisition of a 26-strong fleet which should all be delivered already by the end of 2032. Some of the complications emerged because the USAF formulated ambitions new requirements that mean the new E-7 standard will significantly diverge from the 3 WEDGETAIL being assembled in the UK for the Royal Air Force. US-specific features requested include a new open mission systems architecture, improved SATCOM fit and enhanced GPS.

The aircraft for the United Kingdom are being assembled by STS Aerospace in its facilities at Birmingham Airport in Great Britain. The first 2 aircraft are actually obtained through modification of second-hand 737 Next Generation airframes taken from the civilian market, and the third fuselage is a new build. Boeing is already building the new fuselages for the first US prototypes: they are expected to fly next year and be taken in for modification into E-7s within the course of 2025.

In November 2023, the NATO AEW Force also announced its selection of the E-7 WEDGETAIL for at least part of its next generation airborne early warning capability requirement. 6 aircraft are to be acquired, with the first aircraft to be operational in 2031. This is only a partial replacement for the current fleet of 14 SENTRY, but the final, long term solution for the “Alliance Future Surveillance and Control” program is expected to involved platforms and capabilities other than E-7, namely drones and space-based sensors. The E-7 was recognized as the “only known military off-the-shelf/non-developmental system”, overlooking the smaller business-jet solutions pushed by Saab.

Recently, press reports from France have suggested that Paris is instead leaning towards a Saab Global Eye purchase for the replacement of its own E-3 platform, but this is not yet officially confirmed in any way.

Turkey, South Korea and Australia are already users of the E-7 and Australia’s ones have been particularly active in the Pacific and the Gulf. They have been instrumental in convincing first the RAF and then the USAF that the E-7 was the right solution to their own requirements.