The UK’s E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) programme is progressing, with three aircraft currently undergoing modification and a targeted in-service date of late 2025, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Responding to multiple parliamentary questions, Maria Eagle, Minister of State for Defence, provided updates on the aircraft’s testing, radar deliveries, and infrastructure developments at RAF Lossiemouth, the future home of the Wedgetail fleet.
Eagle confirmed that work continues at STS Aviation in Birmingham, where three Wedgetail aircraft are undergoing modifications to integrate their mission systems and radars.
“The modification of the three E-7 Wedgetail aircraft continues at STS Aviation, Birmingham Airport, targeting an In-Service Date with the RAF in late 2025.”
Although initially expected to enter service sooner, programme delays have meant that the RAF does not yet have an operational Wedgetail fleet. Eagle reaffirmed:
“The Wedgetail aircraft has yet to enter operational service.”
Despite this, the first aircraft has already undergone multiple test flights and been painted in 8 Squadron markings, as the unit prepares to receive the new platform.
“The Wedgetail programme has seen the first aircraft complete three test flights, be painted in the markings of 8 Squadron, and continue with the installation of mission equipment at STS Aviation at Birmingham Airport, before entering the test and evaluation phase later this year.”
The second and third aircraft are also progressing as planned, integrating their modifications to bring them up to full operational capability.
The E-7 Wedgetail’s primary sensor, the Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar, is being supplied by Northrop Grumman. So far, three radars have been delivered to the UK production facility, with the remaining two expected later this year.
“Three Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radars have been delivered to the Royal Air Force (RAF) at the UK production facility. The remaining two MESA radars are in production with Northrop Grumman and will be delivered to the RAF in Summer 2025.”
Meanwhile, at RAF Lossiemouth, significant progress has been made in preparing for Wedgetail’s arrival. The MoD confirmed the completion of a combined Poseidon and Wedgetail engineering line facility, alongside 8 Squadron’s headquarters office accommodation.
“The infrastructure programme at RAF Lossiemouth has delivered the combined Poseidon and Wedgetail engineering line facility, as well as 8 Squadron headquarters office accommodation, with the final elements of the technical facility expected to be handed over in March 2025.”
The E-7 Wedgetail is set to replace the gap left by the E-3D Sentry, providing the RAF with a modernised airborne command-and-control platform to enhance surveillance and battle management capabilities. Equipped with MESA radar technology, it will offer greater tracking capability over its predecessor, ensuring NATO interoperability and improved early warning against airborne threats.
They really need to immediately order the extra 2 that they have radar for..three is an insanely small number.
Yes… I think virtually all on this site concur.
Agree.
Well, they did buy 5 AESA sensors, so the extra 2 could be for batch 2, spares, or someone needs to be fired.
These aircraft are probably going to be the most valuable asset other than maybe the Rivet Joint the UK possess now. The US will leave a massive AWACS shaped hole in ENATO if it pulls out.
We should go for 5 ASAP with an aspiration for atleast 7. These are perfect for home defence and ENATO defence just the kind of o thing we need to double down on and no need to start any new programs. We already have two radars good to go.
Have comment sections been turned off on recent articles? Or is it an error?
Frustratingly there has been no explanation at all….
Not sure if the comments section really registers here.
Why not email George and ask him when you need a bit of info?
He won’t bite! 😉
I did, and he replied promptly what the issues were.
It’ll take time, they’re all volunteers.
The site has several improvements planned.
I did attempt something else the other week but didn’t get a message back, sadly.
Ta M8
The UKDJ site was very heavily trolled the other day. I was trying to post a comment but couldn’t get in, for the trolls Scores of them, one after the other. Basically, it appeared to be a DoS attack.
Anyway, the staff then closed down the comments section for a couple of days. Clearly, it’s back up again.
Thanks. I was wondering why I couldn’t post the other day. Yeah, scam bots have also been posting as well.
Didn’t know that, thanks, had an issue the other day on here and didn’t know why 👍
The original order was for 5 aircraft and later cut to 3. Looks like some one forgot to cancel the radars unless by some miracle we will eventualy have 5.
We couldn’t get out of the contract for five radar systems so just cancelled two aircraft, in the end the savings were miniscule and we’ll end up paying far more to finally go ahead.
Think that was a Grant Schapps special.
OK so we have an SDR ongoing and we all await it to land with either a Plop / Whimper or a Bang / Surprise. Meanwhile Everyman and his dog know that we need a minimum of 5 for an effective level of cover and have paid a lot of money for 2 radars which are completely wasted if sat in packing cases.
Whats more that little be spoke production line at BHX either needs the 2 orders or we lose it (even worse is wait 3 years and need to regenerate it).
FFS just order the damned Airframes, that might not involve a long drawn out contract with Boeing as we can source 2nd hand 737 NG 700.
Just go mug Ryanair 😉
STS Aviation Services of Birmingham was selected by Boeing as the principal sub./partner for the conversion of baseline 737s to the UK Wedgetail spec. Would presume this arrangement was developed to maximize British input (labor hours/proportion of cost) for the benefit of HMG’s Treasury. Would imagine this arrangement engendered all the efficiency one could imagine from an off-shore prime partnering w/ an inexperienced local sub. 🙄 Nonetheless, STS has scaled the learning curve and a/c are entering testing. Now is the time for MoD to increase the order to five a/c, while the line is hot. Not 2026/2027, in due course, when economic conditions are favorable, or any other variation on the theme. Realize that this is preaching to the chior re the tenets of Programme Management 101. 🙄
It isn’t even 101 it is the pre module 100.
HMT skip module 100 as they are so ‘bright’.
😂
It’s a little bit more complex than just Workshare, Boeing don’t build that Airframe anymore so if the original parameters are to be met any new builds have to be conversions. Which sticks the USAF / NATO in a bit of a pickle as they essentially have to go down the same route, so STS are the guinea Pigs. No one seems to be very impressed by Boeing at present, so refurbishing / adapting the older models may just be a smart move.
Hence B52J, 747 Airforce One and heck his own Trump One 757.
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Like all the comments previously all point to 5 aircraft I totally concur with this.
You need 1 up in the air and 1 on standby 24/7 365 days of the year. You cannot do that with 3 and tough with 5..
In the current world climate I would agree more than 5 would now be advantageous..
Trouble is Money.. itnis an expensive asset but sadly it is an asset that is purely needed..
So I do urge the government to rethink and buy an extra 3 aircraft.
Even though the first Wedgetail is a second-hand Boeing Business Jet.
I has been a painfully slow process, ridiculous.
So we ordered this in 2018 and only just got the first test flight the other week? The first Wedgetail is a second-hand Boeing Business Jet and it has still taken this long.
Sorry mate you do realise this is Boeing. It’s going to take then 15 years and 5 billion to convert two cargo planes into Airforce one.
2018 to 2025 is super fast for them. 😀
True on the Boeing part. But isn’t the conversion being done in Birmingham by another firm?
STS Aviation Services
Meeooowww ! Nice one.
Put the damn order back upto 5 with SDSR must layout a plan to get to 9 aircraft.
The time for penny pinching and buying small numbers of exquisite kit is over.
Unfortunately the radars take years to produce and given the USAF orders and NATO ones we will be at the back of a long queue.
Just get on with it and order 2 more. Delay will leave us dangerously underequipped and just ramp up the cost for the future.
Get the other two up and running and then have a look at the fact we may need to disperse our main assets as a matter of routine away from the few main bases we have left!
Plus some deployable Shorad/GBAD for all bases, ports, key facilities for greater protection of these few assets and personnel!
Airbus, pull your fingers out and develop MPA/AWACS versions of the A320/321 series.
Not useful at this juncture.
We are down the E7 route and AUS has done the hard miles….we are relearning all the mistakes…the painful way!
👍🏻
Agreed, but we are not the only users of MPA/AWACS aircraft.
It’d be nice to think the other two could be built jointly as part of a NATO/JEF/CotW common pool of enablers.
Nope doing it National first is way better, yes you can subsequently join in joint operations but you can pull it back for sovereign use. E7 has massive use other than just AEW.
I’m still finding some nrw and recent ukdj articles don’t have a comments section. Is anyone else still having the same issues?
>”The remaining two MESA radars are in production with Northrop Grumman and will be delivered to the RAF in Summer 2025.”
Interesting. DESA was trying to sell those as surplus, e.g. in some arrangement with NATO. Unsurprisingly, it looks like the MOD has now changed its mind! I will now put a small bet on SDR restoring the cancelled two aircraft. But I hope SDR is also worrying about how many of our key weapon systems could quickly become junk if Trump decided he didn’t like the way the UK might use them. The F-35 has long thought to be top of the list, but the E-7, P-3, Trident(!!), Tomahawk, Rivet Joint, M270 MLRS and AH-64E Apache must all be suspect. We probably can’t block American “back-doors” in to the systems, crack encoded software, or bypass unlock/access codes – but we can at least stock up on spares rather than operating on a just-in-time basis that relies on American suppliers doing an overnight FedEx. Israel sets an example is this regard, heavily dependent on US support they may be, but are they also not so stupid as to stake their national existence on this being always be provided. E.g. they are the only international F-35 buyer that has set up their own maintenance and logistical system, rather than relying on access to the American owned ALIS or ODIN.