UK to convert Boeing 737s into E-7 Wedgetail aircraft for the US Air Force
September 19, 2025
For the first time since the early Cold War, Britain will help build military aircraft for the United States Air Force, in a deal that underlines both the strength of the transatlantic alliance and the continuing global standing of the UK’s defence industry.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that Birmingham will host the conversion of two Boeing 737 passenger aircraft into prototype E-7A Wedgetail early-warning surveillance planes for the US Air Force.
The contract with Boeing will create more than 150 new jobs in Birmingham, sustain a further 190 across the country, and inject £36 million ($48.6 million) into the UK economy.
Revival of transatlantic aircraft production
It is more than half a century since the United States last turned to Britain to help produce military aircraft. In the 1950s, the English Electric Canberra bomber became the first British design to be ordered by the US Air Force, built under licence in Maryland as the Martin B-57.
Before that, during the Second World War, American aircrews had flown British-built Mosquito reconnaissance and night-fighter aircraft.
Today’s announcement revives that tradition. The Wedgetail programme is more than symbolic: it represents a shared investment in cutting-edge technology designed to safeguard skies at a time of mounting global competition and uncertainty.
The Boeing E-7 Wedgetail’s role in modern air power
The E-7 Wedgetail is based on a Boeing 737 commercial airframe but heavily adapted for military use. Its defining feature is the Northrop Grumman MESA radar, mounted above the fuselage, capable of tracking hostile aircraft, missiles, and drones at ranges beyond 300 miles.
The platform delivers airborne early warning, command and control, and surveillance functions—roles currently performed by the ageing E-3 Sentry AWACS fleet.
For the US Air Force, the Wedgetail will be essential in maintaining information superiority as it retires its 1970s-era E-3s. For Britain, the type will become the Royal Air Force’s new airborne eyes and ears, with three aircraft already on order for service entry in 2026.
Defence Secretary John Healey called the deal “a vote of confidence in Britain’s world-leading defence industry,” adding:
“The relationship between the UK and US has never been stronger, and this new deal with Boeing creates and supports hundreds of jobs across the UK—making defence an engine for growth and strengthening our collective security.”
At present, the Wedgetail programme sustains 190 jobs in Britain, including 130 in Birmingham. Boeing’s expansion will add at least 150 more roles as work begins on the two US aircraft.
Over 40 UK-based suppliers are engaged in the project, with Scottish firms contributing to new facilities at RAF Lossiemouth, where the RAF’s Wedgetail fleet will be based.
The announcement also dovetails with the UK’s Defence Industrial Strategy, which earmarks £250 million ($337 million) for regional growth deals and £182 million ($246 million) for new technical colleges to upskill the defence workforce.
UK and USAF strengthen interoperability with Boeing E-7 Wedgetail
The decision to have both RAF and USAF aircraft modified in Britain is about more than economics. By fielding the same airborne surveillance platform, both nations strengthen interoperability—critical for NATO operations across Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
Industry observers note that choosing Birmingham reflects confidence in British technical expertise. “By building part of the US fleet in the UK, Washington and London are locking in shared capabilities and reducing supply chain risks,” said one analyst. “It strengthens NATO’s collective edge in surveillance and command-and-control.”
Britain’s aviation partnership with the United States stretches back to wartime cooperation. The De Havilland Mosquito, famed for its wooden frame and versatility, was flown by US aircrews during the Second World War.
A decade later, the Canberra jet bomber became the only foreign design ever licensed for US Air Force production, serving as the Martin B-57.
Now, more than fifty years later, the Wedgetail deal signals a new chapter. While the airframe is American, the aircraft will be converted in Britain for the US Air Force—a reversal of the Canberra pattern.
As the RAF prepares for its own Wedgetail fleet and the USAF readies to induct its prototypes, Birmingham’s workshops are set to become the latest link in the long chain of Anglo-American airpower cooperation—one that blends history, symbolism, and strategic necessity.
