US, UK and Australia sign joint agreement on E-7 Wedgetail development

Asia-Pacific, Europe, News, US July 18, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The head of air forces from the U.S., Australia, and the UK signed a joint agreement for cooperation on E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. The three countries would cooperate on capability development, testing, interoperability, operations, and training of the aircraft.

The heads of the three air forces pledged to work together on future upgrades of the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft. A joint vision statement was signed by Air Marshal Robert Chipman of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Air Chief Marshal Rich Knighton of the British Royal Air Force (RAF), and Gen. C.Q. Brown of the U.S. Air Force.

“The signing of this Joint Vision Statement by our three Air Forces is an exciting opportunity that will allow us to work collaboratively to develop our Wedgetail fleets to ensure that they remain ready to provide Airborne Early Warning & Control as the threats and challenges we face change,” RAF Air Chief Marshal Knighton said. He added that “Collaboration and interoperability are critical to our warfighting advantage” and that the joint vision statement signifies a step in the long-term, enduring commitment to the future and to the security of the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.

The trilateral agreement does not call for any specific upgrades immediately but creates a process for joint development in the future. The U.S. Air Force’s deputy undersecretary for international affairs Kelli Seybolt highlighted that “What it does is it gets all of us on the same page and how we want to work together as we move forward to operationalize this capability.”

^{Royal Australian Air Force Chief Air Marshal Robert Chipman, U.K. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, and U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. pose for a photo after an E-7A Wedgetail Joint Vision trilateral statement signing during the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, United Kingdom, on July 14, 2023. (Image Credit: U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Jason W. Cochran)}

Boeing’s vice president of mobility, surveillance, and bombers Dan Gillian hailed the joint efforts of the three countries for the future upgrades of the program. “You’re going to see nations working together to bring capability on —obviously, rapid change and evolution of the platform from what the threat drives,” he said.

E-7 Wedgetail AEW&C

Originally produced for the Royal Australian Air Force, the E-7 is known as the Wedgetail due to its distinct design features. After attaining evident success with the Royal Australian Air Force, the Wedgetail became a certain candidate to replace the E-3 for the U.S. Air Force.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a $1.2 billion worth contract for a fleet of 26 E-7 aircraft to replace its aging fleet of E-3 Sentry AWCS planes.

The E-7 is an integrated, command and control aircraft that leverages networked connectivity, edge processing capabilities and communications, and sensor data generation to support significantly improved operational decision-making as well as resilient and efficient force employment. According to Boeing, the aircraft has next-generation, multi-domain capabilities providing accurate, timely, and effective support.

The UK’s E-7 Wedgetail aircraft, expected to enter service in 2024, has been developed to become a crucial asset in the RAF’s future Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) Force.

The aircraft has an open systems architecture and agile software design which will evolve its capabilities to meet future threats. Apart from the U.S., UK, and Australia, the E-7 is also operated by South Korean and Turkish air forces.