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.
It appears crazy that they cut the order. If the UK is serious about defence it is obvious we need this capability and we need resilience that we can only get through more planes. We need the extra two.
Agree.
Well, they did buy 5 AESA sensors, so the extra 2 could be for batch 2, spares, or someone needs to be fired.
The MOD probably had to order 5 radar sets as that was the minimum number NG needed to re -start the production line which had been closed for some years. This meant that new components would have been required to replace those which had become obsolete and out of production and those specifically needed for the AESA radar not used elsewhere. Once incorporated they would have required thorough testing both on the bench and installed to confirm fit and functionality of the new components. This would not have been a trivial task. At the time of the UK order no other air force was interested in placing orders for the E7, the US and NATO orders came some time after the UK order.
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.
The 14 NATO E3As are not owned by the US but are owned by NATO and registered in Luxemburg. So NATO could continue to operate the aircraft if the US pulled out . What would be a problem is a lack of trained crews and maintenance engineers which would eventually result in fewer sorties. NATO did have a good holding of spare parts but these may become reduced over time.
The original order was for 5 aircraft, which was already considered too small for operations before HMG reduced the order to 3.
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Northrop, obviously learning other UK MoD programmes were smart enough to have a contract for outfits for 5 aircraft, so even with the aircraft fleet reduced to 3, the UK were legally bound to purchase the 5 (which made the ‘savings’ really more of a bigger slap in the face for those concerned).
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Given the orange oompa loompa in the white house’s (note lowercase lack of respect intentional) pathetic decision to abandon Ukraine, the decision to buy 5 then 3 is a further sign of the poor military view in the UK, politically and with the general public.
I’d prefer a non-US company at the moment
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
Let me start by saying I am not knocking George I gave up on designing commercial websites a lot less complex than this one years ago, just too stressful and labour intensive and difficult to please the user/client so I appreciate and indeed have defended issues here when I see criticisms. However as a pure comment on the reality, I will be eager to see what these improvements will be. Presently with the loss of comments on some articles (probably a good thing as I spend far too much time here 🤐) which may simply be a glitch I accept but more annoyingly the loss of the time limited editing capability which I find very frustrating as on occasion one pushes post before realising you haven’t copy checked properly or spell check has over-ridden things unexpectedly, has somewhat reduced usefulness sadly.
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 👍
I do wonder how effectively comments sections can be maintained once ai, in particular maliciously exploited ai starts to overwhelm the internet. Sad that what once was promoted as empowering the ordinary person is arguably already (just see how Musk is completely re-writing the reality of so called ‘free speech’ through personal judgement and algorithm bias), and almost certainly in the future will become nothing but backing up totalitarianism and the powerful Dystopia here we come, and sadly most people just don’t understand how invasive it will be even though the rise of MAGA and the ridiculous over promotion of a tv (un)reality show host and the power of tech oligarchs over ‘personality’ populist front men/clowns should warn us loud and clear of what’s coming. Not like we haven’t had examples of it here is it.
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.
I was wondering who pre Isley that was, geez should have guessed the prime idiot amongst a coterie of idiots. Problem now is that as the US is going for this system trying to obtain two new airframes may be not only very difficult (a lot of the cost was doing so back then in a sellers market) but unbelievably expensive and time consuming. Might be better to try to back up with a different system eventually as mad as that sounds. If only we had had mire vision earlier when others were adopting this system three or four years earlier would have made quite a difference.
To be brutally honest to Boeing. The radar and its systems are airframe agnostic. You could “fairly” easily fit the system to the Airbus A320 family. Granted the cabin will need reinforcing along with other structural modifications, plus dynamic modelling, flight testing etc. But in essence we could have gone down the route with an Airbus fitted with the MESA radar.
You would also have to upgrade engines for the generators and map the radar to the aircraft to optimise performance and close any blind spots. Yes it could be done but would be expensive and take time and need a significant contribution from NG which, given the current US government, would be unlikely. There may also be significant commercial arrangements between Boeing and NG which would need to be resolved. Also the aircraft would need to be certified by EASA as new Type, again not trivial. I am not aware of an equivalent European radar other than the Eyrie radar which was proposed during the UK competition for replacing the E3D but was rejected.
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.
USAF and NATO E7s will be new build airframes so Boeing will be setting up a ‘special 737 production’ line for more than 20 or so ac.
I haven’t done an assessment of availability of NG airframes currently (they had problems sourcing them when it was 5 and the replacement Max became untouchable skewing the market) but I fear the damage from Max (plus US military requirements now) still puts them in great demand (possibly more so) and no doubt overly expensive even if you can source them, after all flogged out versions with little remaining life are hardly suitable. Sadly it’s now pain on top of past pain.
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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
Sadly its’s not a simple as that. It’s probably one of the reasons why Marshalls of Cambridge pulled out of the contract. Basically Boeing will have scoped the work and provided drawings for the modifications and fit out. However, if STS find issues that aren’t covered by the provided documentation. This work then is out of scope (or out of contract). Which requires Boeing to not only agree the work, but also agree on a price to do it. Boeing are famous for inflating the prices, but also dragging their feet over decisions.
Meeooowww ! Nice one.
Indeed Jim the only part of Boeing doing reasonably impressive work seems to be the former McDonnell Douglas element mostly on fighter contracts.
Not clear what your point is Coll what has it being a secondhand ‘business jet’ got to do with it? Being second hand, whereby it will have to be completely stripped and checked inch by inch surely makes potentially more problematical. New ones even back then would only have been available if orders were cancelled, when was the production line closed down I did check before, possibly 2018? So orders would have closed years before. Problem is these conversions stopped years before with Australia and Turkey orders et al were completed so it’s not like there were facilities and a military conversion production line already processing orders for them. Then quite understandably we wanted it done in the uk which further complicated matters.
True. I forgot that a C check would most likely have taken place. I also made that point as well years ago when people were pointing out how we got the ex-BBJ was with China Airlines, and how they thought it was a security issue.
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.
We have bought 5 radars, but only 3 airframes. If we are going to order more, now is the time.
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.
I would say it’s likely the number one give away from SDR will be to add these two back in, I don’t think the RAF every really truly intended to go to 3 , it was just a budget give away to balance their books for a few years.
If we can’t go above 5 as it will take too long to acquire new radars it may be worth investigation other solution for the UK and using E7 for NATO in Easter Europe.
Poland and Singapore both use Blimps. Much cheaper less effective AWACs solution also offered by SAAB. Obviously no one wants a mixed fleet but E7 is probably massive over kill for UK air defence.
I don’t believe our AWACS have been used for UK air defence anyway, but are primarily deployed to cover allied air.
In the 80s during the Cold War might have been different.
Obviously, a blimp cannot do that.
I agree, restoration to 5 wouldn’t surprise.
They did not enter service until 1995 the E3Ds. They replaced the venerable Shackleton as the Nimrod replacement was canned, They are a sovereign asset and critical to UK air defence given ground radar limitations.
👍Exactly!
“..but E7 is probably massive over kill for UK air defence.”
I don’t think so. They will give UK more flexibility of deployment options, as a sovereign asset. I.e. Ireland plans to procure fighter jets, maybe Gripens stationed at Shannon Airport to petrol Republic of Ireland airspace, so E7 could cue air defence ìn Eastern Atlantic, for a fee.
This does seem like an ideal role for the Hybrid Air Vehicles systems – big enough to stay aloft for days with crew accommodation and fuel etc – especially some of the larger ones in development. You could practically park one over the UK for several days while the other trundled off back to base for a jolly. then use the wedgetails where being able to move quickly is more advantageous – like near the Russian borders…
This is a critical capability and 3 ac is wholly insufficient. Order the final two. The fleet them would still be sampler than the E3D but at least of some military use.
As to these delays to IOC and of course FOC, I despair. The accountable official should be forced to explain. At a time of critical need we need to enact war time measures and drive matters forward either alacrity.
Having 3 AEW aircraft it better than none but it’s minimal capability. The remaining 2 airframe shoukd definitely be ordered.