As part of its “Midnight Hammer” operation against Iranian nuclear facilities, the USA recently announced on June 22 that a total of 125 different types of aircraft had been deployed. These included “a complete arsenal of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft”. An indispensable element of such mission packages are also AWACS aircraft of the aged type Boeing E-3G Sentry. They monitor the air situation, coordinate patrols by allied fighter aircraft and locate all activities of enemy aircraft in the area of operations.
26 Boeing E-7s planned as replacements
The air surveillance and control platforms based on the Boeing 707 were delivered to the US Air Force between 1976 and 1992. US Air Force between 1976 and 1992. After decades of intensive worldwide use – including by France, the Royal Air Force, NATO and Saudi Arabia – they were upgraded to the E-3G (Block 40/45) variant from 2014. Northrop Grumman provided maintenance for the once revolutionary rotating Westinghouse radar (diameter: 9.1 meters). However, the 21 remaining aircraft equipped with turbojet engines are now severely outdated: in 2024, only 55% of the fleet was still operational.
In 2023, the USAF announced its intention to procure a more modern early warning aircraft in the form of the twin-engine Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (based on the 737 platform). This was analogous to the air forces of Australia, Great Britain, South Korea and Turkey (-> Boeing: E-7 Wedgetail becomes western AWACS standard). Up to 26 were planned for Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, as a bridging technology until satellite-based radar systems would be operational in the future.
In 2024, the Pentagon already ordered two E-7 aircraft from Boeing for 2.2 billion euros (2.6 billion US dollars). One of these should be completed this year. However, a recent report by the US General Accounting Office has already revealed a nine-month delay in the first flight (now May 2027) and a cost overrun of 33 percent – the program now amounts to more than three billion euros (3.56 billion US dollars).
Not after all?
On June 10, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated at a hearing in the House of Representatives that the Pentagon was considering scrapping the E-7 plan. The system was not sufficiently “survivable” and they wanted to move airborne targeting to space sooner than previously planned: “Terminating the E-7 purchase is one of the difficult decisions we’ll have to make as we build the 2026 defense budget and beyond. But if we have systems that are not viable or offer no advantage on the modern battlefield, we need to act now. The E-7 is an example of this: late, more expensive – and over-engineered!”
Therefore, delays in the development of the prototype and cost concerns would have led the defense authorities to to consider other options. Boeing declined to comment publicly on Hegseth’s statements.
Marine AEW&C as an interim solution?
Instead, the resulting gap is to be bridged by using the otherwise carrier-based E-2D Hawkeye, as flown by the US Navy, for the USAF until space-based sensor networks are available that can provide early warning of threats and coordinate troop movements.
This “interim solution” not only surprises military observers, but also contradicts previous USAF plans. Nevertheless, the Pentagon’s draft budget for the 2026 fiscal year earmarks 1.2 billion euros (1.4 billion US dollars) for new E-2Ds. According to budget chief Bryn Woollacott-MacDonnell (Acting Special Advisor in the Department of Defense), just under 130 million euros of this will go towards an initial “Hawkeye Expeditionary Unit” with five aircraft.
“Reckless gambling”
The E-2D performs similar tasks on aircraft carriers as the E-3, offering a radar range of 550 kilometers, even more than the E-3’s 375 kilometers. However, as a turboprop, it operates in other speed and altitude ranges and has significant limitations in terms of range and dwell time.
Lieutenant General Dave Deptula, head of the Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies, sharply criticized this course: “Transferring the role of airborne early warning to the Hawkeye would be a reckless gamble! It would jeopardize America’s ability to achieve air superiority – and thus success in any future conflict with an equal opponent.”
With a planned E-7 fleet of 26 aircraft, several operational areas could be served in parallel. The E-2D, on the other hand, is not a fully-fledged alternative in terms of numbers and range. And space-based systems would not be fully operational for decades – even then, they would not be able to replace real-time situation management and coordination by specialized crews.
In addition, the E-2D can only be refueled with the Navy’s hose/basket system, not with the usual USAF boom. This is likely to make mission planning considerably more difficult.
Resistance in Congress
Republican Budget Committee Chairman Tom Cole – whose constituency is home to Tinker AFB with the E-3 – urged the Secretary to reconsider the plans: “I keep hearing that space is the solution to everything. I believe in the possibilities of orbital systems, but platforms like the E-7 are crucial today and in the long term.”
Cole warned against swapping tried and tested air solutions for untested technology. The risk of bad investments worth billions is real.
Decision imminent
The US Congress could force the Pentagon to stick with E-7 if there is no political consensus in favor of E-2. Supporters of E-7 in the House of Representatives are calling for the program to be supported with 430 million euros. A draft bill emphasizes that missions such as early warning are “essential today and far into the future”.
The USAF plans to submit its budget request this month. Pentagon and Chief of Staff General John Caine signaled to the Senate Procurement Committee that a review of the E-7 program will take place.
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