E-7 Wedgetail. Photo and video: X @BoeingUK
United Kingdom, September 20, 2024 — Boeing successfully completed the first flight of the E-7 Wedgetail, intended for the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom.
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The flight test team from Boeing performed functional checks during the flight, which took off from Birmingham Airport, marking an important milestone in the testing and evaluation phase of the program.
Currently, the aircraft, still without paint, is one of three units of the 737 NG model on British soil, being modified by a highly skilled team of over 100 professionals from STS Aviation Services in Birmingham.
The E-7 Wedgetail, which has already proven effective in combat, is capable of detecting and identifying enemy targets at long distances, as well as simultaneously tracking various aerial and maritime threats, providing 360-degree coverage through the Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) sensor. This gives combatants critical awareness across multiple domains, along with advantages in command and control decisions.
The future E-7 fleet of the United Kingdom will be based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, where local suppliers and contractors from Boeing are nearing completion of the necessary infrastructure facilities to support the introduction of the E-7 into service.
Additionally, the RAF is participating in a trilateral agreement with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF) to promote the interoperability of the Wedgetail, as well as the development of capabilities, assessment and testing, sustainment, operations, training, and security.
Currently, the RAAF, the Republic of Korea Air Force, and the Turkish Air Force operate the E-7. Boeing is also building two prototypes of the E-7 for the USAF, and in 2023, NATO announced the selection of the E-7 for its Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) mission. The growing global E-7 fleet provides advantages in mission systems interoperability, readiness, and lifecycle costs, as well as a common technical pathway to address rising global threats.
By the end of this fall, after a series of flight tests and additional evaluations, the aircraft will be sent to a paint facility, where it will receive the RAF livery.
Source: Boeing Photo and video: X @BoeingUK. This content was created with the assistance of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
