NATO is abandoning its effort to buy E-7 Wedgetails to replace its aging E-3 AWACS, the Netherlands Ministry of Defense announced Nov. 13—a blow to the uncertain future of the new airborne early warning and control aircraft.
The alliance announced plans to procure six E-7s in November 2023 to replace its fleet of 1980s-era E-3s, following the U.S. Air Force’s plan to buy 26 Wedgetails of its own. A consortium of seven NATO allies—Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and the U.S.—led the decision-making process.
But the U.S. withdrew from the NATO consortium supporting the E-7 purchase in July, the Dutch stated. Without the Americans, “both the strategic and financial foundations were lost.”
The Pentagon sought to cut the U.S. E-7 program in the fiscal 2026 defense budget request, but U.S. lawmakers have pushed back on that decision and the Continuing Resolution to reopen the government this week includes $200 million to keep the program running.
The Wedgetail combines a Boeing 737 airframe and outfitted with Northrop Grumman’s Multi-Role Electronically-Scanned Array radar, providing battlefield situational awareness, moving target indicators, and battle management capabilities. The funding in the bill is intended to continue a rapid prototyping contract for two aircraft, which are being built in the United Kingdom under a deal announced by the UK Ministry of Defence in September.
It is possible the NATO partners will reverse course if the Pentagon abandons its push to cancel. If not, however, NATO will seek other options. “The members are now exploring alternatives for fleet replacement and seeking new partners,” the Dutch statement said.
Among the options: Saab’s Global Eye, based on a Bombardier Global 6500 jet and equipped with mission equipment from L3Harris. The Swedish firm has reported interest from France, Germany, Denmark and NATO.
NATO’s airborne targeting and battle management fleet is one of only a few capabilities owned by the alliance itself. Its E-3s operate from Geilenkirchen, Germany. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited the base Nov. 13, and while he did not directly address the Wedgetail cancellation, he was asked about the plan to replace the aging AWACS.
“The planes need to be replaced, that’s clear,” he said. “So that process is ongoing, and I will do everything to make sure that we speed up that process. It is important that we speed it up.”
