Preparing for Delivery to the Royal Air Force

Boeing recently executed the first functional flight of its UK E-7 Wedgetail. The aircraft is one of three undergoing modification at Birmingham’s STS Aviation Services in preparation for delivery to the Royal Air Force (RAF).

The E-7 Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft operates on the Boeing 737-700 NG commercial airframe. It features a Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) surveillance radar to detect long-range targets and threats. The MESA, manufactured by Northrop Grumman, conducts 360-degree electronic scans to provide crews with continuous surveillance of the mission area.

A Boeing flight-test crew completed several functional checks during the RAF E-7's first flight out of Birmingham Airport. After further testing and evaluations, the aircraft will be transported to receive its shiny new RAF paint job.

"Achieving the first flight of Wedgetail is a significant milestone, representing an outstanding effort from the RAF program team, DE&S, Boeing, and STS Aviation,” commented Richard Osselton, RAF Programme Director for Wedgetail. “We will now build on this success and look forward to continuing the Test & Evaluation phase as part of our preparations for the aircraft to enter into service."

Upon delivery, the UK’s E-7 fleet will be based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. There, Boeing's partners are finishing up construction of the infrastructure intended to house the aircraft.

The Wedgetail is currently in service within the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the Republic of Korea Air Force, and the Turkish Air Force. On August 12, the US Air Force also ordered its first two “operationally representative prototype E-7A weapons systems” to replace its aging E-3 fleet. Boeing plans to deliver these aircraft by 2028.

"This safe and systematic Functional Check Flight is an important step for Boeing and the RAF as part of our rigorous and extensive testing and evaluation," commented Stu Voboril, Boeing VP and E-7 program manager. "Our team is committed to ensuring the E-7 delivers the safety, quality, and capabilities we've promised to our customer as we prepare for delivery of the UK's first E-7 Wedgetail to the RAF."

FMI: www.boeing.co.uk