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Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 28 Sep 2021, 14:36
by Jensy
Curious timing for a news release from NG:
https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/f ... attlespace
Informative piece, though maybe not for those who find the phrase 'warfighter' somewhat irritating...
Current production of the first MESA antenna for the United Kingdom’s AEW&C system.
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 28 Sep 2021, 20:08
by Lord Jim
Don't we have an agreement with the RAAF to maintain our Wedgetails to a common standard, jointly working on upgrades to the system? I thought that was one of the key factors in our choosing Wedgetail?
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 15:15
by bobp
The second airframe for conversion has now entered the UK..............
https://www.key.aero/article/second-boe ... conversion
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 07 Oct 2021, 19:39
by Jdam
Nice to know, hopefully that means the first one is primed for all the equipment it needs to upgrade it to a E-7.
Did we ever hear about the 3 air frame? I remember from the start the first 2 aircraft were to be upgraded from existing 737 airplanes but I cant remember if anything was said about the 3rd plane.
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 21 Oct 2021, 00:07
by Mercator
USAF launches E-3 replacement effort, notes E-7 intent
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news ... e-7-intent
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 21 Oct 2021, 08:48
by R686
One can only hope that the RAAF will also get a few extra aircraft on a larger order of the USAF
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 21 Oct 2021, 17:34
by Jdam
Hopefully the UK will get a few more as well.
I wonder if the USAF would accept an off the shelf solution or will they add more equipment to the current model.
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 21 Oct 2021, 18:49
by tomuk
Jdam wrote:Hopefully the UK will get a few more as well.
I wonder if the USAF would accept an off the shelf solution or will they add more equipment to the current model.
There is no off the shelf model in the numbers they would want. Boeing would need to restart 737 NG BBJ production.
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 21 Oct 2021, 19:49
by Lord Jim
If the USAF goes down this road both the RAAF and RAF should try to bring theirs up to a common standard with them. IF the unit goes down as a result we can hopefully purchase a couple more. Would be interesting if we could also get European NATO members to look at the E-7 instead of the Airbus option. With Germany going for the P-8, the MRA part of that programme is already in difficulty. A much cheaper US option could scupper it entirely, especially if the US partially foots the bill like with the AWACS programme in the 1980s.
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 22 Oct 2021, 00:31
by Mercator
Jdam wrote:I wonder if the USAF would accept an off the shelf solution or will they add more equipment to the current model.
I think two mods are reasonably likely:
1) every operator so far, including South Korea and Turkey, has chosen their own national specific ESM system. The Australian system is a late variant of an Israeli product that was developed for our AP-3Cs in the 90s. The UK might have adopted that as well (it had some similarities to the old Nimrod Orange Gate, I think it was called). I guess we won't know what the UK is doing until we see it on the flightline.
I'd be amazed if the US didn't adopt their own national specific system (with some really spooky upgrades). Something off the Poseidon would probably be fairly easy, but who knows with the USAF. There's lots of Big Safari options out there.
2) the other possible upgrade comes as a consequence of some suspiciously coincidental flight tests of a new Open Mission System on the E-7A by Boeing and Northrop Grumman. The fact that the RAAF gave them an aircraft to test this on possibly means that the RAAF will look to incorporate it down the track as well, though I don't remember it being put forward as part of the scheduled upgrade.
Boeing, in collaboration with Northrop Grumman, has successfully tested the open mission systems (OMS) approach on the E-7 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) platform.
In collaboration with Northrop Grumman, Boeing recently conducted two flight tests on a test bed aircraft, once again marrying the OMS-compliant battle management command and control (BMC2) system to Northrop Grumman’s advanced, wide-band active electronically scanned array (AESA). This successful airborne test of OMS architecture is a key step in validating the approach and moving the product to fielding.
Rick Greenwell, Boeing chief engineer, aircraft modernization and modification, said, “From an engineering standpoint, executing this OMS test in a relevant environment represents a major step-up in demonstrated readiness. As a company, we are committed to OMS and have demonstrated OMS on defence products such as the T-7A Red Hawk and F-15EX. AEW&C now joins that prestigious Boeing product list.”
Both flight tests saw the AEW&C mission computing, processing and Human-Machine Interface (HMI) hardware mounted on the test aircraft and connected to the Northrop Grumman sensor. Via the HMI, a Boeing operator commanded the sensor to conduct specific activities and then received the sensor data for processing and display.
https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/key-e ... nvironment
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 22 Oct 2021, 02:51
by Mercator
tomuk wrote:Jdam wrote:Hopefully the UK will get a few more as well.
I wonder if the USAF would accept an off the shelf solution or will they add more equipment to the current model.
There is no off the shelf model in the numbers they would want. Boeing would need to restart 737 NG BBJ production.
This comment at the end of this AirForce Mag news article suggests that the line is still open until 2025:
There is some urgency to getting a Wedgetail acquisition underway, as Boeing is eyeing an end to 737 Next-Generation—on which the E-7 is based—in the 2025 timeframe, hence the “diminishing manufacturing sources” information request.
https://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-a ... placement/
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 22 Oct 2021, 03:04
by Mercator
R686 wrote:
One can only hope that the RAAF will also get a few extra aircraft on a larger order of the USAF
If USAF and/or NATO production is still going in the late 2020s, it starts to match up with the forecast ADF replacement program. And what better to replace an E-7A than an E-7B. We may even be able to mod our older airframes if they still have hours on them. That would also allow the UK, and others, to catch up with the new baseline.
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 22 Oct 2021, 05:10
by tomuk
Mercator wrote:tomuk wrote:Jdam wrote:Hopefully the UK will get a few more as well.
I wonder if the USAF would accept an off the shelf solution or will they add more equipment to the current model.
There is no off the shelf model in the numbers they would want. Boeing would need to restart 737 NG BBJ production.
This comment at the end of this AirForce Mag news article suggests that the line is still open until 2025:
There is some urgency to getting a Wedgetail acquisition underway, as Boeing is eyeing an end to 737 Next-Generation—on which the E-7 is based—in the 2025 timeframe, hence the “diminishing manufacturing sources” information request.
https://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-a ... placement/
The NG line has already closed it is the P8 line that is open for now.
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 14 Nov 2021, 06:59
by Mercator
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 14 Nov 2021, 14:35
by serge750
Well that would be good for the Oz fleets & the RAF (very few planes ) for future upgrades or possibly even replacement/increased airframes
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 22 Nov 2021, 04:45
by Mercator
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 22 Nov 2021, 10:00
by Jdam
Interesting have all previous Wedgetail's been upgraded air frames like ours or new builds?
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 22 Nov 2021, 11:29
by Jdam
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 22 Nov 2021, 16:05
by Ron5
World leading??
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 22 Nov 2021, 20:49
by R686
Ron5 wrote: ↑22 Nov 2021, 16:05World leading??
Well no government is going to admit its project and choice is inferior to anything else,
Well not unless you scrap a deal and go with something else
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 24 Nov 2021, 18:05
by Jdam
A couple more pictures, I think the aircraft in the background has had fuselage modified fort the radar.
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 02 Feb 2022, 10:17
by Mercator
The U.S. Air Force Should Buy the E-7 Wedgetail as a Step on the Path to ABMS
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articl ... 14706.html
A low-risk, real capability that could replace the E-3 in the near term is the E-7 Wedgetail, which is based on the widely operated Boeing 737 airframe with an advanced electronically steered radar array. As previously noted, the British Royal Airforce is acquiring the E-7 as a replacement for its E-3 AWACS. Australia has operated the Wedgetail since 2012. NATO planners have proposed replacing the Alliance’s E-3s with the E-7. Controlling a fleet of UASs equipped with advanced sensors, the E-7 could provide a potent C2/BM capability.
It appears that the Air Force is considering acquiring a version of the E-7 as a bridge between the aging E-3 AWACS fleet and the future ABMS. The Air Force Chief of Staff, General C.Q. Brown, observed that his Service did not have the luxury of waiting for a space-based sensor layer to be deployed and that the E-7 provided "an option to be able to get the capability much faster than if we were to start a new start from scratch." The Air Force recently signed a sole-source contract with Boeing to conduct a series of studies and analyses that would assess the E-7 baseline configuration and identify the additional work required to create a new one that would meet Air Force requirements and standards.
The Air Force needs to replace its aging E-3 AWACS today. It cannot wait for all the moving parts of ABMS to come together. A fleet of Air Force E-7s could be an effective bridge to a more robust, distributed ABMS.
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 02 Feb 2022, 10:21
by SW1
Boeings in a complete mess needs a another government bung for its cash flow see p8 after 9/11….
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 08 Feb 2022, 21:28
by Jdam
Interesting didn't know we were getting a new build for the 3rd aircraft.
If it was about money why didn't we go for 3 used air frames
Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Posted: 08 Feb 2022, 23:30
by Mercator