The first Boeing E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft destined for RAF service has arrived at RAF Lossiemouth, where it will continue its test and evaluation phase before being formally handed over to the RAF, according to the Royal Air Force.

The aircraft, registered WT001, flew to Lossiemouth on 21 May from STS Aviation Services at Birmingham Airport, crewed by a mixed team of Boeing UK and RAF personnel. Test and evaluation is split between MOD Boscombe Down and RAF Lossiemouth, with the phase designed to ensure safe and fully assured progression toward service entry. On completion, the aircraft will be formally transferred from Boeing UK to the RAF and operated by 8 Squadron.

Group Captain Sarah Brewin, Station Commander at RAF Lossiemouth, said the station had been working hard to prepare for the aircraft’s arrival. “This marks a significant step in delivering the Royal Air Force’s next generation of airborne surveillance and control capabilities that will support the defence of the UK for the years to come. RAF Lossiemouth has been working hard to get ready to operate these aircraft, and we are looking forward very much to this next exciting chapter in the Station’s history when the aircraft enters RAF service.”

Stu Voboril, Boeing E-7 Vice President and Programme Manager, said the platform would provide the UK with the world’s most advanced airborne early warning and control capability. “The E-7 will provide the UK with the world’s most advanced, capable and reliable Airborne Early Warning and Control platform, while supporting British industry through UK jobs and supply chain opportunities.”

The Wedgetail will serve alongside the nine Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft already based at Lossiemouth, both platforms sharing the Boeing 737 Next Generation airframe, which the RAF and Boeing say will allow synergies in maintenance, logistics, and support. The E-7 is already in service with the Royal Australian, Republic of Korea, and Turkish Air Forces.

The Wedgetail programme fills a capability gap left by the retirement of the RAF’s E-3D Sentry aircraft, which operated with the service for more than 30 years before being withdrawn from service in 2021 amid defence budget pressures.

Lisa West
Lisa West
Lisa holds a degree in Media and Communication from Glasgow Caledonian University. With a background in media, she plays a key role in the editorial team, managing industry news and maintaining the standards of the publication's online community.

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44 COMMENTS

    • Hello mate,

      Yeh I thought I had read it had been delayed as well, so good news. What would be really good news would be a couple more being order we bought the radars after all. Although I have seen it suggested that the spare radars have been stripped for spares already, so may be not such a straight forward to order more.

      Cheers CR

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    • It was flying around Wiltshire and Somerset a couple of days back. I was watching from the “Van”.

      Flight radar had It down as 757 and no details or picture.
      Also those bloody B1B’s (I can’t get away from them) and Crimson 1 and 2 … oh and Merlins, Wildcats, a Chinook and an old American Trainer, not sure what but It looked like a Harvard.

    • A ‘plane has arrived, my friend. Doesn’t mean we’re going to be operatinal anytime this decade.😏

  2. Interesting how last year Pete Hegseth said E7 was too vulnerable for the modern battlefield and that sattelites could cover the role to one year later stating it’s one of the most important military capabilities the US needs and sattelites can’t cover the role.

    I can’t think what happened in the last year, it’s almost like someone with a vested interest in space and satellites was exerting influence over the US government and is now gone 🤔

    Unfortunately for the USAF the speed that both it and Boeing are able to go at and especially with the E7 do not bode well for Americas future AirPower. Boeing has consistently delivered E7 platforms late, in some instance up to 7 years late and no doubt with last years off gain on again antics and the continued budget uncertainty I just can’t see Boeing getting anything to the US airforce with in ten years.

    The existing E3 fleet is held together by hope and duct tape. IF America has to fight a major air campaign it’s in deep trouble. It’s also pissed off every other operator of the E7 to such an extent it’s hard to see them getting involved unless directly threatened themselves.

        • If that is true it will curtail any attempt to restore the UK order to 5 aircraft. It wouldn’t surprise me as UK Defence gets sold down the river at every opportunity.

          • It all depends on what the UK contract for the USAFs E7stipulates. As I understand it the UK is modifying the purpose built E7 airframes built by Boeing and fitting out and testing of the internal mission system is being carried out by Boeing in the US as part of their evaluation and hopefully leading to a full scale production contract. So it could be that only the UK owned antennas are required for the UK to mount on the airframe. If the production contract is awarded there will be need for more antennas which take time to manufacture and therefore the two UK antennas could easily be replaced. There may be other changes such as the internal cabin changes and addition generators and corresponding enlarged engine nacelles. The UK work might also include he mountings for the Self protection pods and some of the many radio antennas. Given the question mark which still surrounds the USAF contract it make sense for Boeing to use the STS trained conversions party’s rather than set up another new conversion team in the US.

  4. We need at least 6 of them but by the time we get them they will probably be out of date. They should have at least kept the E3’s until the E7’s were in servce.

    • Funny. I heard a guy from Lockheed saying the same thing just before he pitched his new super-duper distributed radar concept.

  7. Aaah Daniele – your comment brings back a lot of Harvard flying memories for me (mostly good 😂)

  9. Thats it. Stick the these and the P8 all together to make it much easier for any attacker. Pre emptive FPV fiber optic drone strike from near the airfield and its curtains. Hows those hardened shelters coming along there?

  10. I think this is good news, but we’ll never get the other two. Saab have anounced AEW pods for the MQ-9Bs and that has to be the fallback for mass. The advantage should be that we can get quite a few for the price of one E-7, and maybe we’ll be able to find an operating plan with two or three MQ-9B=AEWs closer in that will allow us almost the same volume coverage as a single E-7 further back, even if we don’t have the passive frequency coverage. We’ll just have to be okay with them being more attritable.

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