The UK’s E-7 Wedgetail programme is progressing steadily, with key milestones achieved and infrastructure improvements on schedule.
In response to Johanna Baxter (Labour), Maria Eagle, Minister of State for Defence, provided an update highlighting the progress of the highly anticipated Airborne Early Warning and Control system.
“The Wedgetail programme has seen the first aircraft complete three test flights, be painted in the markings of 8 Squadron, and continues with the installation of mission equipment at STS Aviation at Birmingham Airport,” Eagle confirmed. Following these upgrades, the aircraft will enter its test and evaluation phase later in 2025.
Aircraft two and three are also advancing as planned, with their modification and integration processes underway. These developments are critical to ensuring the fleet’s operational readiness and ability to meet the UK’s defence needs.
Supporting this operational capability is the ongoing infrastructure development at RAF Lossiemouth, which Eagle described as making “significant progress.” She noted that the combined Poseidon and Wedgetail engineering line facility and 8 Squadron’s headquarters office accommodation have been completed.
The final elements of the technical facility are expected to be handed over by March 2025, further enhancing the base’s ability to support both aircraft platforms effectively.
More of these would be nice.
Just need 2 more then that would be a reasonable number at minimum cost!
The 2021 cancellation of two E-7 aircraft was theoretically going to “save” £265 million from the projects estimated £2,215 cost – the problem being that that this had grown from the £2 bn approved in 2019, but the MOD didn’t have the extra money. However after announcing the cancellation the likely savings quickly became – zero, zilch. The MOD was still obliged to take delivery of all five MESA radar and mission systems as these were already being manufactured; it had to compensate Boeing, STS Aviation and other major supplies for breaking agreed contracts; and most facility costs were fixed regardless of whether the RAF got 1 or 10 aircraft. Any supposed savings then became based on reduced operating costs – the assumption being made that 3 compared to 5 a/c would need fewer personnel, less maintenance and spares, etc. But there is a strong suspicion that cancelling two aircraft actually increased even these recurrent costs as economies of scale were lost and high inflation led to suppliers significantly hiking their prices in the renegotiated contracts. Embarrassing projects such as this are undoubtedly a major reason why the MOD has stopped publishing the annual Equipment Plan, and is even refusing to provide relevant information to the NAO.
Parliament should pass a law requiring MoD to list all projects progress and costs against planned timescales and spend profiles with justifications or explanations for deviations. There could be two lists, one for projects in the public domain and a second for black projects. The second list should list be made available for scrutiny in closed sessions by suitably security cleared NAO staff. Public reports could simply refer Black project spending without giving any project details, not sure how many black projects the UK has?
There is no excuse for the MoD to hide this data as it was available in the past. They are covering up their failures. Plus such secrecy can enable corruption by preventing public and parliamentary scrutiny. This trend is very irritating frankly.
Cheers CR
So we have a hangar, offices, desks and sofas but no actual active AEW planes….you couldn’t make it up…..
It looks like they are sharing the engineering/hangar facilities with Poseidon aircraft. It would make sense if they are operating from the same office, considering E-7 and Poseidon aircraft will operate from the same Apron from the look from press releases.
More would be nice
The procurement of three aircraft will result in only one available (day to day) for Ops, Trg and Trials.
Hence why we bought 7 E-3Ds.
Five aircraft are bearably sustainable, and like the E-3D and Sentinel, we are unlikely to properly support them and they will not last more than 20 years.
We should have bought them in conjunction with the US and NATO and utilised common crew training, support and logistics.
As ever, we have to do the bespoke thing and screw it up.
Even better, just get Australia to build them, to their spec and upgrade them in lock step with the Australians.
But no, we had to take a known platform and ‘tweak’ it. We now have three bespoke airframes, different from the rest of the E7 fleets….
I agree, no upgrading and withdrawn and gone within 20 years
Progressinhg…with a smaller number of airframes; over budget and slow, slow slow…
Simple message to HMG. Put the order back upto 5 and then next step upto 7. 7+ airframes are required for a worthwhile resilient force level.
Fingers crossed SDSR will put the UK back on track
SDR is looking for savings and ruling out 3%