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The Pilots Desk
airborne early warning aircraft series by Boeing

Boeing E-7 Wedgetail

Boeing E-7 Wedgetail

The Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, also marketed as the Boeing 737 AEW&C, is a twin-engine airborne early warning and control aircraft originally designed for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Based on the Boeing 737 Next Generation design, it has a fixed active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar antenna instead of a rotating one as with the 707-based Boeing E-3 Sentry. The E-7 was designed for the RAAF under "Project Wedgetail" and designated E-7A Wedgetail. The 737 AEW&C has also been selected by the Turkish Air Force (under "Project Peace Eagle", Turkish: Barış Kartalı, designated E-7T), the Republic of Korea Air Force ("Project Peace Eye", 피스 아이), and the United Kingdom (designated Wedgetail AEW Mk1). The United States Air Force (USAF) had previously announced that the E-7 would replace the E-3 starting from 2027, but in June 2025 the Defense Department announced that they planned to cancel the purchase in favor of space-based solutions, including the proposed Golden Dome, and the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. In the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2026 passed by the US Congress in November 2025, additional funding was allocated to keep E-7 development on track.

Summary from Wikipedia, photo via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Manufacturer
Boeing
First flight
2004-01-01
Length
33.6 m
Wingspan
35.8 m

Specifications

Cruise speed
460 kt
Max speed
530 kt
Range
3,500 nm
Service ceiling
41,000 ft
Max takeoff weight
171,000 lb
Empty weight
102,750 lb
Powerplant
2 × CFM International CFM56-7B27A turbofan engines
Engines
2
Seats
21
Length
110.3 ft
Wingspan
117.2 ft
Height
41.2 ft
Number built
15

Specifications are approximate and may vary by variant. Compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Reference and training only. Specifications vary by variant — consult the manufacturer and the official documents.