A major strategic change was announced today by the Netherlands Ministry of Defence, which, together with „several [NATO] partner countries,” has jointly ended the acquisition of six Boeing E-7 Wedgetail Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) aircraft. The decision comes due to the „loss of strategic and financial foundations” that initially underpinned the program, leaving NATO in search of alternatives for its vital aerial surveillance capability.
Financial Collapse and US Withdrawal: Why Did Wedgetail Fail?
Initially, a collection of eight NATO allies, including the US, were all involved in the program to replace E-3A Sentry planes with the new E-7 Wedgetail. However, the members of the Support Partnership Committee have now halted the acquisition of the E-7, and are exploring alternatives for fleet replacement and seeking new partners (source: Netherlands Ministry of Defence).
The Allied Future Surveillance and Control (iAFSC) project, which initially targeted operational duty for Wedgetail by 2031, „is now undergoing significant changes” (source: Netherlands Ministry of Defence). The turning point was the US Air Force’s „withdrawal” from the Wedgetail effort, after it cancelled the troubled program in June 2024 due to soaring costs and survivability concerns (source: Breaking Defense).
Although the US Congress on Wednesday proposed nearly $200 million for Wedgetail rapid prototyping activities, this initiative is more aligned with an alternative plan to rely on space-based capabilities to assist warplanes in finding and tracking enemy aircraft – a mission commonly known as the air moving target indicator (AMTI).
NATO’s Urgent Search for a European Alternative
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the Dutch stance, telling reporters at the alliance’s main AWACS operating base in Geilenkirchen, Germany, that an E-3A Sentry replacement process is „ongoing.” He added, „I will do everything to make sure that we speed up that process. It is important that we speed it up” (source: Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General).
Netherlands state secretary Gijs Tuinman emphasized the importance of investing in European industry: „The US [Wedgetail] withdrawal also demonstrates the importance of investing as much as possible in European industry” (source: Gijs Tuinman, Netherlands State Secretary). The goal remains to have other, quieter aircraft succeeding the E-3A operational by 2035.
The Competition Reopens: What Options Are on the Table?
While the Netherlands did not share which specific aircraft allies are assessing as candidates to replace Wedgetail, iAFSC was previously contested by Saab’s GlobalEye, Northrop Grumman’s E-2D, and L3Harris’s pitch for the Bombardier Global 6500 business jet „cross decked” with a Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) mission system.
An L3Harris spokesperson told Breaking Defense that they are prepared to participate in any NSPA-led competitive process, offering „a rapidly available solution optimized for survivability and integrated with a communications suite that will provide interoperability with NATO and coalition partners” (source: L3Harris spokesperson). Similarly, a Saab spokesperson expressed their interest, noting a „significant increase in global interest for GlobalEye” and their willingness to discuss how their technology can support the needs of potential customers (source: Saab spokesperson). Northrop Grumman declined to comment.
Strategic Implications and Recent Experience
NATO currently operates a fleet of 14 E-3A units. The prior decision to acquire six Wedgetails was justified at the time by an alliance official on the basis that the limited buy was „recognized as the minimum number of aircraft that the strategic commands state is required to deliver the minimum operational capability for SACEUR’s [Supreme Allied Commander Europe] day-zero airborne air battle management capability.”
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the E-3 has been consistently used by NATO for surveillance missions across the eastern flank, underscoring the urgency of maintaining and modernizing this capability.
The latest Wedgetail setback also adds to technical and financial problems linked to the UK’s similar program, estimated at £1.89 billion ($2.57 billion). Despite an original plan to field the aircraft in the „early” 2020s, an initial operational capability milestone has since been pushed to next year. The UK originally signed a $1.98 billion contract with Boeing for the procurement of five aircraft, before committing to a reduced buy of three airframes on cost grounds.
