RAF announces AEW&C, space, ‘drone' test squadrons

The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has announced three units to take on new and enhanced capabilities and roles.

An artist's impression of how the E-7 AEW&C aircraft will appear in UK service. The RAF is acquiring five such aircraft to replace its current E-3D Sentry platforms, and it was announced that 8 Squadron will operate them. (Crown Copyright)

Speaking at the Chief of the Air Staff’s Air & Space Power Conference (ASPC) in London on 17 July, the head of the RAF announced the continuation of 8 Squadron as the unit to field the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) platform as it replaces the Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW1; the reformation of 23 Squadron as the service’s dedicated unit for space operations; and the reformation of 216 Squadron as an experimental unit dedicated to developing ‘swarming’ technology for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

On the subject of 8 Squadron and its new role as the RAF’s E-7 Wedgetail unit, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier noted, “Three years ago, we had no plan to re-capitalise our vital airborne early warning and control fleet. Today, it has been confirmed that we are acquiring the E-7 Wedgetail, with some of our people already training with the Royal Australian Air Force’s E-7 Force, ahead of the delivery of our first E-7 aircraft in the early 2020s, to 8 Squadron.”