US Air Force plans limited purchase of Boeing E-7A Wedgetail

The US Air Force plans to procure five Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, in addition to two prototypes already under contract, Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink told a House subcommittee, as per Reuters.

The future of the E-7A program had been called into question last year after the Pentagon scaled back earlier plans to acquire 26 aircraft intended to replace the US military’s Cold War-era AWACS fleet. The move also influenced allies, prompting NATO to abandon its own plans to purchase six E-7A aircraft.

The United States had already committed to acquiring two E-7A prototypes. The aircraft is based on Boeing’s widely used 737 commercial jet platform.

Speaking before the House Appropriations defence subcommittee, Meink said the Air Force now intends to move forward with the purchase of five engineering and manufacturing development E-7A aircraft, signalling a more limited but continued investment in the program.

By Tamilla Hasanova