Boeing E-7 Wedgetail
| Boeing E-7 Wedgetail | |
|---|---|
| A Royal Australian Air Force Boeing E-7A Wedgetail | |
| General information | |
| Type | Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) |
| National origin |
|
| Manufacturer | Boeing Defense, Space & Security |
| Status | In service |
| Primary users | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Number built | 15 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | November 2012 |
| First flight | 2004 |
| Developed from | Boeing 737 Next Generation |
The Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, also marketed as the Boeing 737 AEW&C, is a twin-engine airborne early warning and control aircraft originally designed for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Based on the Boeing 737 Next Generation design, it has a fixed active electronically scanned array radar antenna instead of a rotating one as with the 707-based Boeing E-3 Sentry. The E-7 was designed for the RAAF under "Project Wedgetail" and designated E-7A Wedgetail.
The 737 AEW&C has also been selected by the Turkish Air Force (under "Project Peace Eagle", Turkish: Barış Kartalı, designated E-7T), the Republic of Korea Air Force ("Project Peace Eye", 피스 아이), and the United Kingdom (designated Wedgetail AEW Mk1). The United States Air Force (USAF) had previously announced that the E-7 would replace the E-3 starting from 2027, but in June 2025 the Defense Department announced that they planned to cancel the purchase in favour of space-based solutions, including the proposed Golden Dome, and the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. In the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2026 passed by the US Congress in November 2025, additional funding was allocated to keep E-7 development on track.