The Pentagon's effort to cancel a high-cost airborne radar program has been temporarily halted after Congress intervened to preserve funding for Boeing's E-7 Wedgetail surveillance aircraft.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the jet is designed to detect airborne threats hundreds of miles away, remain aloft for extended missions, and coordinate dozens of fighter aircraft.
Based on a modified 737 commercial jet, the aircraft is intended to replace E-3 Sentry planes that have been in service for decades.
The program has faced repeated delays and rising costs. Early estimates put the price of each prototype at $588 million, but that figure later increased to $724 million per aircraft.
Pentagon leadership earlier this year announced plans to cancel the purchase of two prototypes, citing cost growth, schedule delays, and expectations that future space-based technologies could eventually perform similar missions.
Congress reversed that decision in the $901 billion defense policy package enacted this month that blocks termination of the Wedgetail contract.
Senate lawmakers allocated $847 million in additional funding for the two aircraft while directing the Air Force to address affordability concerns and present a plan to streamline requirements and control costs.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a June House hearing that the department must reassess platforms that may not be survivable or effective in future conflicts, adding that space-based systems could soon surpass some airborne capabilities.
Boeing representatives have said the U.S. will ultimately need a balance between aircraft and satellite systems.
The Wedgetail features a Northrop Grumman radar mounted on its fuselage, 10 mission consoles, and extended endurance compared with older surveillance aircraft.
The U.S. is not alone in reassessing the program.
The Netherlands recently abandoned plans to acquire Wedgetails for NATO, and the U.K. scaled back its planned purchase from five aircraft to three.
Australia, the program's first customer, plans to upgrade its existing fleet.
The Air Force said it will comply with the defense policy law and pursue cost savings by completing part of the aircraft modification work in Britain, which has prior experience with the platform.
Air Force commanders have maintained that replacing the nearly 50-year-old Sentry fleet remains necessary, citing maintenance challenges and limited availability of spare parts.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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