UK's E‑7 Wedgetail: A crucial but limited addition to Air Force
Later this year, the United Kingdom will commission its first E-7 Wedgetail—an advanced AWACS aircraft. However, analysts point out that to cut costs, London reduced its order to just three of these aircraft several years ago, despite their increased significance following Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
AWACS are airborne early warning and control aircraft. They offer substantial capabilities to the forces that possess them, enabling far more effective reconnaissance than relying solely on ground-based radars. The role of AWACS has been demonstrated in the war in Ukraine, where such aircraft are referred to as the "eyes of the Russian air force."
E-7 Wedgetail in service in the United Kingdom
In the UK Air Force, the E-7 Wedgetail aircraft will replace the E-3 Sentry, which has already been retired from service. Analysts at Defence Express recall that in 2019, London signed a contract for five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft. Still, under the Integrated Review defence review in 2021, it was decided to reduce this number to three. This reduction allowed for decreased expenditures, as AWACS aircraft are among the more expensive designs used by the military.
Conversely, in the current geopolitical situation, each AWACS is viewed as equipment "worth its weight in gold." Throughout NATO, only around a dozen such aircraft are available, with the vast majority belonging to the US. The first E-7 Wedgetail is scheduled to be received by the British Air Force in December 2025. According to current plans, all three will serve until 2042.
E-7 Wedgetail. What kind of aircraft is it?
Analysts at Defence Express point out that having three instead of five AWACS aircraft will significantly limit the United Kingdom's capabilities. As a result of such cost-saving measures, the UK will not be able to achieve full independence from NATO in terms of air reconnaissance. They also add that there may be concerns about the equipment because the British E-7 Wedgetail has not obtained access to Skynet satellites and will rely on the Iridium network.
Analysts note that it remains unclear how this technical detail might impact the speed of data transmission from British AWACS aircraft to end users.
The E-7 Wedgetail aircraft currently serves in the US, Australia, South Korea, and Turkey air forces. They are significantly lighter than the E-3 Sentry, featuring a flat and fixed radome without the heavy mechanism responsible for rotation and stabilization. The MESA (Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array) provides 360-degree observation of the airspace and the surface of the ground or water, with a range of even 595 kilometres.
