A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A pictured in 2017. Although already operated by Australia, South Korea, and Turkey, the US's planned fleet of 26 would mean more E-7As than all other operators combined. (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The US Air Force (USAF) reached a USD2.56 billion agreement with Boeing to build the first two E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning (AEW) prototypes, the service announced on 9 August. Delivery of the two ‘rapid prototypes' is scheduled for fiscal year (FY) 2028.
The agreement “[paves] the way for ensuring the air force's ability to provide advanced airborne moving target indication (MTI) in the coming years”, said Andrew Hunter, the USAF's assistant secretary for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.
Although the USAF awarded Boeing the contract for the two E-7As in February 2023, negotiations with Boeing were described by Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall as “a hard time” in February 2024, with the two sides disagreeing on the price of undescribed capabilities.
“In our partnership with the US Air Force, we're focused on stable, predictable execution to deliver crucial mission-ready capabilities today,” said Stu Voboril, Boeing's E-7A programme manager. “This will put us on the path for the long term growth of the aircraft and mission.”
The USAF will leverage work done for the United Kingdom for its own version – the European country has ordered three – although modifications to the radar and mission systems software, among other items, are required.
The USAF intends to order a total of 26 E-7As by 2032, entirely replacing its fleet of Boeing E-3s. A production decision for the E-7A is expected in FY 2026.
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