--- title: "E-7 Wedgetail Radar Jet Procurement Plans Axed By NATO" description: "The Dutch Ministry of Defense has announced that NATO nations have dropped [their plan]() to buy [Boeing E-7A Wedgetail]() as the alliance’s next airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform. The decision comes after [South Korea rejected the E-7]() for…" date: "2025-11-13" modified: "2025-11-13" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/e-7-wedgetail-radar-jet-plans-axed-by-nato-nations" categories: - "Air" - "Around The Globe" - "E-3" - "E-7" - "Europe" - "Manned ISR" - "NATO" - "News & Features" - "Space" --- # E-7 Wedgetail Radar Jet Procurement Plans Axed By NATO ![The Dutch Ministry of Defense has announced that NATO nations have dropped their plan to buy Boeing E-7A Wedgetail as its next airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform. The decision comes after South Korea rejected the E-7 for its own AEW&C program and would appear to open the door to Saab’s rival GlobalEye, which France has already said it intends to buy.]() *NATO* The Dutch Ministry of Defense has announced that NATO nations have dropped [their plan]() to buy [Boeing E-7A Wedgetail]() as the alliance’s next airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform. The decision comes after [South Korea rejected the E-7]() for its own AEW&C program and would appear to open the NATO door to Saab’s rival [GlobalEye](), which France has already said it intends to buy. In a [statement]() today, the Dutch Ministry of Defense said that the Netherlands, “together with a number of partner countries,” has decided not to purchase the six E-7s. These aircraft were expected to partially replace the 16 Boeing [E-3A Sentry]() Airborne Warning And Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft that are operated by the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force (NAEW&CF), home-stationed at [Geilenkirchen Air Base]() in Germany. ![]() *NATO E-3s on the flight line at Geilenkirchen Air Base. *Melanie Becker/Luftwaffe** The Dutch Ministry of Defense said that the E-7 program has lost its “strategic and financial basis,” and confirmed the United States had withdrawn from the program in July, resulting in “significant changes” to the alliance’s AWACS replacement program. The statement added that the members are now exploring alternatives for replacing the AWACS fleet. “The goal remains to have other, quieter aircraft operational by 2035,” said State Secretary for Defense of the Netherlands, Gijs Tuinman. The minister was referencing the fact that the E-3s will reach the end of their service life in 2035 and have been criticized for their excessive noise signature. ![Netherlands' Defence minister Gijs Tuinman meets with soldiers of the Princess Catharina-Amalia Hussars Regiment by a leased German Leopard tank during a contract signing for new German made Leopard battle tanks in Amersfoort on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Vincent Jannink / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUT (Photo by VINCENT JANNINK/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)]() *State Secretary for Defense of the Netherlands, Gijs Tuinman, meets with soldiers operating a leased German Leopard tank in Amersfoort on May 14, 2025. *Photo by Vincent Jannink / ANP / AFP* VINCENT JANNINK* Originally, the Netherlands was one of seven partner members in the AWACS replacement program, alongside Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, and the United States. Apart from the United States, which stepped away in July, it’s unclear from the Dutch statement whether any of the other partners decided to depart the program. However, the statement says that the “remaining countries” are now “looking for new partners.” Regardless, at this stage, it seems highly unlikely that Boeing and the E-7 will find a way back into NATO’s plans. That would appear to leave European rival Saab and its [GlobalEye]() AEW&C platform, which is based on a [Bombardier Global 6000/6500]() long-range bizjet airframe. ![]() *A prototype Saab GlobalEye aircraft. *Saab* Anders Bergstrand* In his statement, Dutch defense minister Tuinman also appeared to suggest that a European solution would be preferred, with Saab being the only realistic candidate. “The withdrawal of the United States also demonstrates the importance of investing as much as possible in European industry,” Tuinman said. A Saab spokesperson provided *TWZ* with the following statement today: “We are aware of media reports related to NATO’s AWACS program. There is a significant increase in global interest for GlobalEye, and we believe GlobalEye makes an excellent solution for many countries that need long-range detection and identification capabilities of objects in the air, at sea, and over land. We are open to discuss and explore how our technology can support the needs of our potential customers.” In its favor is the fact that the GlobalEye has already been earmarked by France to replace its E-3F Sentry fleet. At the Paris Air Show this summer, Saab and the French defense procurement agency, the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), [signed a joint declaration of intent]() regarding the sale of two GlobalEye aircraft to France, plus two options. “Our solution will enable France to maintain full sovereign control of its airborne early warning and control capability,” Micael Johansson, President and CEO of Saab, said at the time. ![]() *A pair of Saab GlobalEye aircraft over Sweden. *Saab** Sweden, now also a NATO member, has placed orders (two firm and two options) for the GlobalEye, too, while Saab also pitched the aircraft to Denmark and Finland, with a view to them potentially jointly operating the type. NATO had not yet placed a firm order for the six E-7s, but back in 2023 [had announced its plan]() to “take steps toward acquiring” those aircraft, via U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) channels. This was the first part of an effort known as Initial Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (iAFSC). https://twitter.com/NSPA\_NATO/status/1724731014428467226?ref\_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1724731014428467226%7Ctwgr%5E64736dc790ffc826f34aa43d4e796452f35b9725%7Ctwcon%5Es1\_c10&ref\_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2Fe-7-wedgetail-radar-jet-chosen-by-nato-to-replace-aging-e-3 The original NATO decision in favor of the E-7 had been made after a “rigorous assessment process,” including an assessment of requests for information (RFI) and price and availability (P&A), and studies of previous E-7 acquisition programs, namely in Australia, [South Korea](), Turkey, the [United Kingdom](), and the United States. The United Kingdom is already well underway with its E-7 procurement, but this program has been [dogged by delays and cost overruns]() and has been trimmed to just three aircraft. ![In a historic first, the Royal Air Force’s E-7 Wedgetail AEW Mk1 performed its first ever flypast with the iconic Red Arrows aerobatic display team, at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) in Fairford, Gloucester. The flypast was followed by the Wedgetail performing a ‘touch and go’ on the runway before departing to MOD Boscombe Down, where it will carry out further system testing. Officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows showcase the excellence of the RAF and represent the United Kingdom both at home and overseas. The team consists of pilots and more than 100 highly-trained support personnel. Each of the pilots has previous fast-jet, operational experience flying the Tornado, Typhoon or Harrier, enabling the RAF to secure the skies and protect the nation and its interests, 365-days a year. The team is based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.]() *The U.K. Royal Air Force’s first E-7 Wedgetail AEW1 flies over the English countryside. *Crown Copyright* AS1 Iwan Lewis RAF* At the time, NATO had determined that the E-7 was “the only known system currently capable of fulfilling the strategic commands’ essential operational requirements and key performance parameters and available for delivery within the timeframe required.” This decision has now been turned on its head, apparently spurred by the U.S. decision to withdraw from the NATO program. There remains the possibility that NATO might forego buying a crewed AEW&C platform altogether. When the E-7 acquisition plan was first announced, NATO said it was “an initial element to mitigate the risk of airborne surveillance and control capability gap,” but the Wedgetail would be just “one contributing element \[…\] to the overall Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) system of systems capability.” This indicated that the alliance ultimately planned to field the E-7 within an integrated network of sensors, also including drones, and other aircraft types that can operate in a surveillance-gathering capacity, and space-based systems. In a [graphic]() that NATO provided alongside the original E-7 announcement, the Wedgetail was shown as one part of a multifaceted surveillance enterprise that also included uncrewed airborne surveillance (illustrated with a NATO [RQ-4D Phoenix]() high-altitude long-endurance drone), space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), maritime-based ISR, land-based radar, and [MILSATCOM](). Also featured were a digital backbone and combat cloud, while a final segment is left empty, suggesting the potential for other platforms or capabilities to be added at a later date. ![]() **NATO** Overall, NATO’s future AEW&C vision had some similarities with the U.S. Air Force’s plans in this domain. Increasingly, the U.S. Air Force has viewed the E-7 [as a solution]() to bridge the gap between the retirement of its own aging E-3s and a future space-based radar capability and other classified systems. In general, the U.S. military has increasingly been looking at the possibilities for future [distributed space-based networks]() that would ultimately exist as large, meshed constellations that could persistently surveil the skies of nearly the entire globe, opening up a whole new set of tactics and situational awareness capabilities. At the same time, these would be [more resilient and less vulnerable]() than traditional surveillance assets. The Pentagon is also looking at ways to [rapidly replace]() any [satellites]() that are destroyed or otherwise rendered inoperable, reflecting the fact that even space-based assets [are far from invulnerable]() to hostile actors. It is far from clear what kind of progress NATO might have made in the development of radar-equipped satellites that could provide capabilities similar to crewed AEW&C aircraft. Also questionable is whether European NATO allies would be able to afford such a system, although buying into the U.S. constellation could be an option. Outside of the classified realm, meanwhile, many countries, as well as [private companies](), now [publicly operate]() various space-based radars, albeit [primarily for imaging purposes](). ![]() *Concept image of a future U.S. Air Force E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C jet. *Boeing** The future of the E-7 with the U.S. Air Force [has also been far from certain](). In its fiscal 2026 budget request, the Pentagon called for the Wedgetail procurement to be scrapped in favor of an ambitious effort to use [space-based assets to perform moving target indication missions](). The Northrop Grumman [E-2D Hawkeye](), as used aboard U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, then [emerged as a possible substitute]() for the U.S. Air Force’s E-7, at least in the interim. The program remained in limbo until this week, when the federal government shutdown lifted and appropriators [approved spending]() for the U.S. Air Force’s E-7 program. The next tranche of funds, just under $200 million, will ensure that research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) for the E-7 continues, alongside rapid prototyping activities. Remaining procurement funding from fiscal 2025 is directed to be allocated to the RDT&E effort. There are, meanwhile, increasing concerns about the survivability of crewed surveillance aircraft like the E-7. While these kinds of platforms may be more relevant in the European scenario, there remain questions as to whether aircraft like these can get close enough in wartime to be effective at all. Potentially, NATO could forego buying an interim crewed AEW&C platform altogether, although previous statements from officials make this sound less likely. Referring to the choice of the E-7 for the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, said in 2023: “Surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft are crucial for NATO’s collective defense, and I welcome allies’ commitment to investing in high-end capabilities. By pooling resources, allies can buy and operate major assets collectively that would be too expensive for individual countries to purchase. This investment in state-of-the-art technology shows the strength of transatlantic defense cooperation as we continue to adapt to a more unstable world.” Once again, should NATO decide to move forward with an alternative crewed AEW&C aircraft, the GlobalEye would appear to be the only realistic option given the timeframe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2UyL9N0ErM It is notable, meanwhile, that interest in these kinds of aircraft is currently growing in the European region, a direct result of the growing threat from Russia, combined with other operational contingencies that demand broad-area surveillance and airspace control. With this in mind, Poland [recently acquired]() two Saab 340 twin-turboprop aircraft equipped with the same company’s Erieye AEW&C system. Similar aircraft [have also been promised to Ukraine](). The [sudden emergence of Russian drones]() as a threat within NATO airspace has further underscored the value of AEW&C assets, which have a critical look-down capability against uncrewed air vehicles as well as cruise missiles. Aircraft like these can keep watch over the alliance’s eastern flank to monitor Russian military aircraft and missiles, as well as potentially hostile movements on the ground and at sea. Time will tell what path NATO follows as it sets about replacing its veteran E-3s, which are now getting so old that their availability will likely continue to degrade toward 2035. In another blow for Boeing, the E-7 would seem to be out of the picture as a NATO AWACS successor. If the alliance does opt for a crewed AWACS solution, the GlobalEye could end up playing a much bigger role across NATO. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()