The US Air Force has awarded Boeing contracts worth $2.43 billion to continue development of the E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, marking renewed progress for the program.
A $2.33-billion contract option will accelerate prototype development for the aircraft’s mission systems, which may include sensors, radar technologies, and battle management software. According to a notice from the US Department of Defense, the modification raises the cumulative value of the agreement to roughly $4.91 billion.
In a separate action, the Air Force issued a $99.3-million contract modification to resolve diminishing manufacturing sources for the aircraft’s Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array radar. The update will replace or modernize components that are no longer produced, pushing the total contract value to approximately $5.01 billion.
Most of the work will be conducted in Seattle, Washington, with additional efforts in Oklahoma, Alabama, and Ohio. The projects are expected to continue through August 2032 and will be managed by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts.
Program Comeback
The new contracts follow a decision by the US Air Force in June 2025 to cancel the E-7A program as the Pentagon shifted focus from airborne surveillance platforms to space-based sensing capabilities.
Although officials described the Wedgetail as a highly capable aircraft, they said defense priorities were shifting toward broader homeland defense and Indo-Pacific security initiatives.
The Air Force originally selected the E-7A in 2022 to replace the aging E-3 Sentry fleet, with initial plans calling for 26 aircraft to be delivered between 2027 and 2032.
However, several US lawmakers warned that space-based surveillance systems are not yet mature enough to fully replace airborne early warning platforms, arguing that aircraft like the E-7A remain essential for maintaining coverage until orbital capabilities become operational.
