PARIS — The Netherlands and a number of European NATO partners are scrapping plans to buy six Boeing E-7 Wedgetail aircraft to replace the alliance’s fleet of aging Boeing E-3A airborne warning and control systems, the Dutch Ministry of Defence said.
The United States withdrew from the AWACS replacement program in July, removing the strategic and financial base of the program, the Netherlands’ MoD said in a statement on Thursday. The remaining six NATO countries are now exploring alternatives and looking at new partners, it said.
NATO operates a fleet of 14 E-3As from Geilenkirchen in Germany that represents Europe’s primary AWACS capacity. The aircraft will reach the end of their lifespan by 2035 and are a source of noise pollution, the Dutch MoD said.
“The commitment remains to have other, quieter aircraft operational before 2035,” Dutch State Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman said in the statement. “The withdrawal by the U.S. in addition shows the importance of investing as much as possible in the European industry.”
AWACS aircraft with their radar systems and communication equipment play an “essential role” in securing NATO airspace and commanding air operations, the Netherlands said.
The US Department of Defense said in July it was canceling the E-7 Wedgetail program, citing significant delays and cost increases, as well as survivability concerns in a contested environment, instead planning to invest in space-based capabilities and additional E-2D Hawkeye aircraft.
The E-3A is a modified version of the Boeing 707, an aircraft model dating to the 1950s, with a visually distinctive radar dome planted on the fuselage in front of the aircraft’s tail fin. The E-7 is based on the more modern Boeing 737.
The main European alternative to the E-7 is Saab’s GlobalEye, with the company’s CEO Micael Johansson in October saying the company was seeing “huge interest” for the plane, including from NATO, Germany and Denmark, as well as other countries. The system is built around a Saab radar and sensors mounted on a Bombardier long-range business jet.
Dassault Aviation has proposed a modified version of its Falcon 10X for the AWACS role, though that system’s prospects took a hit when France said in June it would buy Saab’s GlobalEye.
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
