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The United States Air Force has formally announced that Boeing will provide specialised variants of the Australian E-7A Wedgetail to replace its ageing E-3 Sentry fleet with a world-leading Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft as part of a US$1.7 billion deal.
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This long-awaited contract will see Boeing begin development of two new US variants of the E-7 Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft through a US$1.2 billion undefinitised contract action — transforming the Cold War-era fleet of E-3 Sentry aircraft.
Stu Voboril, E-7 program vice-president and general manager said, “The E-7 is a proven platform. It is the only advanced aircraft that is capable of meeting the US Air Force’s near-term Airborne Early Warning & Control requirement while enabling integration across the joint force.”
The E-7 tracks multiple airborne and maritime threats simultaneously with 360-degree coverage via the Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) sensor. The MESA sensor provides the warfighter with critical domain awareness to detect and identify adversarial targets at long range and dynamically adjusts to emerging tactical situations.
The E-7 uses a well-established supply chain which significantly reduces maintenance and logistics costs and increases mission readiness on day one.
The E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C functions include:
- A steerable beam, L-band, electronically scanned array that provides optimal performance in range, tracking, and accuracy;
- Radar that can track airborne and maritime targets simultaneously;
- Assistance to the mission crew in directing the control of high-performance fighter aircraft while continuously scanning the operational area;
- A “top hat” portion that provides a practical solution for fore and aft coverage while maintaining the low drag profile of the dorsal array system — enabling the MESA system to be installed on the mid-size 737-700 platform without significant impact to aircraft performance;
- An integrated identification friend or foe (IFF) function that shares the primary radar arrays to reduce weight, improve reliability and simplify target correlation; and
- Advanced open-system architecture with standards-based design for cost-effective integration and add-on flexibility.
The platform utilises a converted Next-Generation 737-700, allowing the E-7 to capitalise on existing commercial derivative aircraft design, certification and modification processes, allowing E-7s to be fielded to meet Air Force needs, while de-risking the project and providing value for money through the acquisition phase.
Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics for the US Air Force, said, “The E-7A will be the department’s principal airborne sensor for detecting, identifying, tracking, and reporting all airborne activity to Joint Force commanders.”
Boeing’s AEW&C is the only off-the-shelf, combat-proven air battle management solution providing command and control and communication capabilities in a congested and contested battlespace.
“This contract award is a critical step in ensuring that the department continues delivering battlespace awareness and management capabilities to US warfighters, allies and partners for the next several decades. The E-7A will enable greater airborne battlespace awareness through its precise, real-time air picture and will be able to control and direct individual aircraft under a wide range of environmental and operational conditions,” Hunter added.
The E-7 platform provides unparalleled abilities to scan the battlespace; communicate with surface, ground and air assets; and enable integration across joint platforms — with international customers currently operating the AEW&C including Australia, South Korea and Turkey, and the United Kingdom is under contract.
This expanded development and acquisition contract provides interesting and exciting opportunities for the Royal Australian Air Force to expand and modernise its own fleet of E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft, by tapping into the growing US development and acquisition pipeline.
The USAF plans to begin production in fiscal 2025, with the first E-7A expected to be fielded by fiscal 2027 — the service anticipates procuring 24 additional E-7As by fiscal 2032 with the E-7A total aircraft inventory projected to be 26.
