This contract will provide the lifecycle development, training, and support services to the U.S. Air Force’s forthcoming E-7A fleet.
The U.S. Air Force has signed a contract valued at $2.56 billion with Boeing for two rapid prototype E-7A AEW&C Wedgetail aircraft. This contract will provide the lifecycle development, training, and support services to the U.S. Air Force’s forthcoming E-7A fleet.
The E-7A Wedgetail, a combat-proven airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform, offers advanced tracking and battle management command-and-control (C2) capabilities. It is designed to provide a decisive “first to detect, first to engage” advantage for joint forces.
The key feature of the E-7 AEW&C aircraft is that it is Built on the Boeing 737-700 NG airframe, This aircraft provides lower operating and sustainment costs, superior mission readiness rates, and exceptional interoperability with a growing global user base.
Boeing Vice President and E-7 Program Manager Stu Voboril, said, “Global operators are proving that the E-7 AEW&C is a critical node for air superiority in the modern battlespace. In our partnership with the U.S. Air Force, we’re focused on stable, predictable execution to deliver crucial mission-ready capabilities today. This will put us on the path for the long-term growth of the aircraft and mission.”
The Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, and U.S. Air Force have established a tri-lateral cooperation agreement concerning the E-7 aircraft. This agreement covers areas such as capability development, evaluation and testing, interoperability, sustainment, operations, training, and safety of the aircraft.
Dan Gillian, vice president and general manager of Boeing Defense, Space & Security’s Mobility, Surveillance & Bombers division, said, “Our customers have an urgent need for integrated battlespace awareness and battle management. The E-7A is the airspace lynchpin to continuously scan the skies, command and control the battlespace, and integrate all-domain data providing a decisive advantage against threats. With our open systems architecture approach, capabilities can be rapidly inserted over time as threats evolve.”
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As NATO has selected the E-7A as its preferred AEW&C solution, the E-7 AEW&C system is used worldwide by many prominent air forces such as the Royal Australian Air Force, the Republic of Korea Air Force (designated E-737 Peace Eye), and the Turkish Air Force (designated E-7T Peace Eagle). Boeing is currently producing three E-7As for the Royal Air Force, with military modifications underway in the United Kingdom.
