Funding for the United States Air Force’s new E-7 Wedgetail radar jet has been secured as part of a bipartisan agreement reached on October 29, 2023, to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. This agreement, which spans 31 pages, allocates nearly $200 million specifically for “continued rapid prototyping activities to maintain program schedule and transition to production” of the E-7 program.
The decision to include funding for the E-7 comes despite the Air Force’s previous indications to cut the program. This funding is part of a continuing resolution that will keep the government operational through January 30, 2024. According to Senator Susan Collins, the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, “Other programs will be funded through January 30th, while the Senate and House continue work on the remainder of the year-long appropriations bills.” Collins expressed her commitment to ending what she described as “unnecessary harm to the security of our families and our nation.”
The inclusion of the E-7 in the continuing resolution is considered a significant victory for Boeing, the manufacturer of the Wedgetail. Despite this, a spokesperson for Boeing declined to comment on the recent developments, and the Air Force has not responded to requests for additional information.
The decision to fund the E-7 radar jet comes at a time when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has criticized the aircraft’s survivability on modern battlefields. Furthermore, the Air Force’s budget request for 2026 proposed cutting funding for the E-7 program. While the Pentagon has pointed towards investments in space-based capabilities for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, experts argue that the funding for the Wedgetail reflects lawmakers’ concerns regarding the rapid deployment capabilities of the Space Force’s Airborne Moving-Target Indication (AMTI) systems.
Todd Harrison, a defense budget expert at the American Enterprise Institute, noted, “If it passes, this is a big win for Boeing, and it shows that many in Congress still have doubts about how quickly the Space Force can deploy the AMTI system it funded in the reconciliation bill a few months ago.” Harrison emphasized that this funding represents a cautious approach by Congress toward the airborne warning mission, hedging against potential delays in space-based systems.
Despite the support for the E-7, Hegseth has previously described this platform as one that lacks survivability and does not provide a competitive advantage in future combat scenarios. Defense officials have cited significant delays and rising costs as reasons for the program’s potential cuts. Initially pitched as a replacement for the aging E-3 Sentry aircraft, Boeing and the Air Force had previously agreed on a deal for two test planes, with a projected delivery date in 2028 for a total cost of $2.6 billion. This figure has since escalated by $884 million, marking a 33 percent increase according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.
In a notable development, the British government announced plans to build the two E-7 prototypes in the United Kingdom, which further demonstrates international collaboration on defense initiatives. As the U.S. government navigates through its budgetary complexities, the future of the E-7 Wedgetail remains a topic of significant interest and debate among lawmakers, military officials, and defense analysts alike.
