NATO abandons Boeing E-7 Wedgetail purchase after US withdrawal
November 14, 2025
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence has announced that NATO will not be purchasing the planned six Boeing E-7 Wedgetail AWACS aircraft. This follows a debate in Washington about whether the US Air Force should shelve plans to acquire them.
NATO shelves plans to purchase E-7 Wedgetail
Yesterday, the Dutch Ministry of Defence announced on behalf of other nations in the NATO alliance that the planned six E-7 Wedgetail Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWCAS) aircraft would not be purchased.
The six radar planes were to be purchased by eight countries in the NATO alliance: Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and the United States. In the statement, the Dutch ministry wrote, “Due to the US withdrawal last July, the replacement program is now undergoing significant changes.”
It stated that the program’s strategic and financial foundations have been lost. The remaining countries are now “exploring alternatives for fleet replacement and seeking new partners.”
A pleasure to visit NATO’s Airborne Warning and Control Force – Thanks Maj General Korb for welcoming Minister-President @HendrikWuest & myself to the base in Geilenkirchen. Hosting @NATOAWACS the men and women here are doing a crucial job – as NATO’s eyes in the sky, you make… pic.twitter.com/2PbDSyyBA0
— Mark Rutte (@SecGenNATO) November 13, 2025
The Sentries in NATO service are expected to reach the end of their service life in 2035.
The Dutch State Secretary for Defence, Gijs Tuinman, said the alliance still intends to acquire a new radar aircraft by 2035, adding, “The US withdrawal also demonstrates the importance of investing as much as possible in European industry.”
Read also: Eyes in the skies – The AWACS and spy planes that appeared at RIAT 2025
Saab Globaleye: A chance to buy European
The decision to purchase the E-3 was partly driven by a desire to maintain commonality with the US Air Force (and the RAF to a lesser degree).
With the USAF seemingly no longer interested in purchasing the E-7 and with European countries seeking to invest more in European systems, the countries are now looking for a European alternative.
The Swedish Saab GlobalEye is now considered the most likely option for NATO states, although Airbus could be another contender. Notably, Sweden joined NATO in 2024.
The Saab’s radar is smaller than the MESA array carried by the larger Wedgetail and is considered less capable. However, it is also cheaper and has a smaller footprint, while still being very effective.
It’s looking like Congress and advocates might save the Air Force from the Hegseth/CAPE choice to walk away from the #E7 and settle for a tiny E-2D buy. The uncertainty that move has created, however, is going to have real downstream costs like👇. https://t.co/gztoVkyEOA
— AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD) (@AirPowerNEW1) November 13, 2025
The GlobalEye radar has also been mounted on small Saab 340 regional turboprops, the larger Saab 2000 regional turboprop, and the Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet.
In July 2025, France announced it would purchase two Saab GlobalEye AWACS, and Denmark has been rumoured to be showing an interest.
The GlobalEye is a heavily modified Bombardier Global business jet with Saab’s Erieye ER (Extended Range) radar. This is the same one as used by the Swedish Air Force.
There is a possibility that the Europeans could upscale the radar aircraft as Saab has previously pitched an Erieye system fitted to a modified Airbus A330 widebody airliner to the UK’s RAF. The earlier proposal was for the A330 to carry two radar arrays on its upper fuselage.
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US has second thoughts about the E-7 Wedgetail
The E-7 Wedgetail was initially developed for Australia and has since been purchased by other nations. The UK is currently bringing them into service after divesting its E-3A Sentries and selling them to Chile.
Ageing Boeing E-3A Sentries are currently in service by NATO as well as the United States Air Force, France, Chile, and Saudi Arabia.
As the US has found itself in competition with China, the service moved to urgently replace its E-3A Sentries, and the E-7 Wedgetail developed for Australia was seen as the only off-the-shelf option. The USAF has had plans to acquire 26 E-7 Wedgetails.
However, in 2025, the USAF stated it wanted to cancel the acquisition of the E-7, citing rising costs and increased vulnerabilities. Indeed, the Russian Air Force has had two very rare A50U Mainstay aircraft shot down during the war in Ukraine.
The Air Force stated it would move its intelligence-gathering assets into space while also purchasing some of the Navy’s less-capable E-2D Hawkeye carrier-based radar aeroplanes. The Senate soon pushed back and has moved to restore funding for the prototyping of a USAF Wedgetail.
It seems the US will still purchase a limited number of E-7s as the contract for the first two rapid prototypes has been awarded to STS Aviation in Birmingham, UK. Although beyond that, it’s unclear what will become of the program.
Featured Image: Boeing
