The US Air Force has contracted Boeing to carry out studies to acquire the E-7A Wedgetail Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) jets, based on the 737-700. Also in September, USAF Commander General Charles Brown Jr. revealed that the E-7 was being considered as a replacement for the E-3 Sentry.
In the study called “E-3 Replacement Aircraft Studies & Analyses”, Published on a US Government website on 19/10, Boeing will examine changes needed for the E-7A to meet USAF configuration standards and mandates.
The US currently has a fleet of 31 E-3 jets with an average age of 43 years, points out the Flightglobal based on data from Cirium. The age of the aircraft makes the USAF look for replacements.
“The E-7 is a good platform. It's something we're considering." said the General during the annual conference of the Air Force Association, last Tuesday (21). Brown added that he and his team have been in talks with the heads of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and UK Royal Air Force (RAF) about the aircraft. The RAAF operates six aircraft, while the RAF has ordered three. The model still operates in the Turkish Air Force and the South Korean Air Force, each with four aircraft.
In February, Pacific Air Forces Commander General Kenneth Wilsbach said the average age of the E-3 fleet was making it difficult for the USAF to maintain the model. Wilsbach defended the purchase of the E-7, but at the time Brown declined to comment, saying the aircraft needed further study. Brown says studies are ongoing, but the E-7 is attractive because it's a "proven capability”. “Now available”, he says. “It's an option to be able to get capacity much faster than if we had to start from scratch.”
Based on the 737NG, the E-7 is equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar produced by Northrop Grumman. Called MESA (Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array), the radar is mounted in a fin-like structure on the jet's fuselage, as opposed to the E-3's rotating dome. The MESA is capable of tracking 180 targets and conducting 24 intercepts simultaneously, in addition to being used in electronic intelligence missions.
