The Royal Air Force is to receive three Wedgetail E7 AEW Mk1 aircraft which will be operated from RAF Lossiemouth by No.VIII Squadron.
The Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning aircraft is based on the commercial Boeing 737 Next Generation airliner and Boeing selected STS Aviation Services for the conversion at Birmingham Airport.
The E-7 Wedgetail AEW Mk1 is the RAF's successor to the E-3D Sentry and will provide a 5th Generation Airborne Early Warning and Control capability (AEW&C), with a Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA), that is interoperable and interchangeable with key allies. The E-7 Wedgetail will commence test flying this year (2024) and come into service in 2025.
On Friday 20th September 2024, the first RAF Wedgetail (WT001) took-off from Birmingham Airport on its maiden test-flight. It was still unpainted at this time and flew over South Wales and around the north of Cornwall before returning back to Birmingham Airport after flying low over RAF Brize Norton.
On Tuesday 1st October 2024, RAF Wedgetail (WT001) took-off from Birmingham Airport and landed at London Southend Airport where it was given its new paint scheme with the markings of VIII Squadron. The VIII Squadron badge, a sheathed Arabian dagger known as a Jambiya, was adopted in recognition of the Squadron's long association with Arabia. The weapon is sheathed to symbolise the squadron's guardian duties and was approved by King George VI in December 1943. As well as RAF markings and roundels, the aircraft also sports the emblem of NATO's Airborne Early Warning & Control Force (NAEW&CF).
On Friday 18th October 2024, WT001 returned to STS Aviation Services at Birmingham Airport for further modification. It flew south from Southend Airport, south of Eastbourne and then due west to north of Cornwall and then flying low over Exeter Airport on its way back to STS Aviation Services at Birmingham Airport.
A key facility was opened on 19th September 2024 at RAF Lossiemouth for maintaining the RAF Wedgetail AEW aircraft. The building is located next to the Atlantic Building, from which the UK's fleet of
nine Poseidon MRA Mk1 aircraft already operate.
The UK initially wanted five Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning aircarft but this was later reduced to three and this was confirmed by the 2021 Integrated Defence Review despite it being too late to cancel all the equipment for five radars. In February 2023, Air Chief Marshal Michael Wigston stated that the order of three aircraft may gradually rise to five.
The RAF's Wedgetails will join NATO's Airborne Early Warning & Control Force (NAEW&CF) which is home to NATO's 'eyes in the sky', when in service, where they will play an important and unique role for the Alliance by protecting Allied airspace with their air and maritime surveillance capability. They will be operated by No.VIII Squadron and based at RAF Lossiemouth which is also home to the RAF's 9 new Poseidon P8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft which are also based on the Boeing 737 Next Generation airframe.
The Boeing E-7 Wedgetail is a twin-engine airborne early warning and control aircraft based on the Boeing 737 Next Generation design and has a fixed, active electronically scanned array radar antenna instead of a rotating one as with the 707-based Boeing E-3 Sentry. The Wedgetail was originally designed for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) under "Project Wedgetail" and designated E-7A Wedgetail. Countries that already operate the Wedgetail include Australia, Turkey and South Korea. The United States are also expected to replace their E-3 Sentry aircraft with the Wedgetail and NATO are to replace its 14 E-3A AWACS with 6 E-7 Wedgetail aircraft.
E-3D Sentry |
RAF E-3D Sentry
The Wedgetail E7 AEW Mk1 will replace the E-3D Sentry in RAF service.
After the cancellation of the BAE Nimrod AEW3 project, the UK along with France ordered the E-3 Sentry aircraft in a joint project which saw deliveries start in 1991. UK E-3Ds contributed to the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (NAEWCF), receiving much of their tasking directly from NATO. However, RAF E-3Ds remained UK-crewed and capable of independent, national tasking.
In 2009, the UK effectively limited the service life of the E-3D fleet by de-funding the Project Eagle upgrade and by December 2020 only two RAF E-3D Sentry aircraft were available for operations at one time. The last operational flight by an RAF E3 Sentry was in July 2021 with the Sentry subsequently retired from service.
The E-3 Sentry was derived from the Boeing 707 airliner and provided all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications. Unlike the Wedgetail which has a fixed, active electronically scanned array radar antenna, the Sentry had a rotating radar dome (rotodome).
