Time to Procure a Replacement for the Aging E-3A is Running Low

Multiple NATO partners have now abandoned a joint plan to purchase six Boeing E-7A Wedgetail aircraft, citing the loss of both “strategic and financial foundations.”  The group was originally made up of eight, including the United States, all looking to replace NATO’s 14-strong fleet of E-3A Sentry AWACS aircraft.

Allies approved the Wedgetail under the initial Allied Future Surveillance and Control program in 2023, targeting operational service by 2031. According to Dutch officials, the program began to fall apart after the US Air Force withdrew from the Wedgetail effort in June due to ballooning costs and survivability concerns. Congress recently intervened with this decision by reallocating funds for the development and rapid prototyping of two test E-7As, scheduled to be delivered in 2028, but it seems the damage had already been done.

However, given the age of the current fleet and the time needed to finalize and procure new aircraft, a replacement will need to be chosen soon. Dutch leaders clarified that NATO still intends to bring in a quieter, modern E-3A successor by 2035. While a front-runner remains undetermined, Saab’s GlobalEye, Northrop Grumman’s E-2D, and L3Harris’s Global 6500-based CAEW system were all eyed as contenders in earlier phases of the program. Several manufacturers quickly signaled that they are ready to compete again if NATO comes knocking.

“We are prepared to participate in any NSPA-led competitive process with a rapidly available solution optimized for survivability and integrated with a communications suite that will provide interoperability with NATO and coalition partners,” said an L3Harris spokesperson. “Building upon our recent selection by the Republic of Korea for a next-generation AEW&C capability based on the Bombardier Global 6500, our solution will create a networked battlespace with fifth-generation aircraft and beyond.”

Falling behind schedule could mean trouble for NATO, since a previous internal assessment concluded that the minimum fleet necessary to meet basic battle-management requirements for the Supreme Allied Commander Europe was made up of six new aircraft. The Wedgetail plan dissolving means the math will have to be recalculated.

The setback also adds to ongoing trouble for the UK’s own Wedgetail acquisition, which has shrunk from five aircraft to three and has seen operational milestones repeatedly slip.

FMI: www.nato.int