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NATO Allies Halt Wedgetail Purchase, Launch Search for AWACS Replacement

The U.S. withdrawal removed the plan’s financial anchor, pushing a Netherlands‑led group to pursue European alternatives before NATO’s E‑3 fleet retires in 2035.

A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail, operated by No. 2 Squadron based at RAAF Base Williamtown, Australia, flies with a Hawaii Air National Guard F-22 Raptor April 21, 2021, near Oahu, Hawaii. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. John Linzmeier)
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NATO countries are pulling the plug on plans to buy US-made Boeings to replace the alliance's surveillance planes

Overview

  • The Dutch defense ministry said on behalf of Support Partnership Committee nations that the planned buy of six Boeing E-7s is suspended after the United States exited the joint effort in July.
  • NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the replacement process is underway and vowed to accelerate decisions following his visit to the alliance’s AWACS base in Geilenkirchen, Germany.
  • Partners are exploring other airborne surveillance solutions with an emphasis on European industry, with reported contenders including Saab’s GlobalEye, Airbus-based conversions, Dassault Falcon AEW concepts, Northrop Grumman’s E-2D, and L3Harris’s Global 6500 CAEW.
  • U.S. policy remains split, as the Pentagon sought to cancel broader E-7 procurement in favor of space-based capabilities while Congress just moved to provide about $200 million for Wedgetail rapid prototyping.
  • NATO operates 14 E-3A Sentry aircraft slated to retire by 2035, and the United Kingdom’s delayed and reduced E-7 program—now down to three jets—has further eroded the commonality case for the Wedgetail.