LONDON – The Royal Air Force has placed an order with Boeing for 5 E-7s, worth of 2 billion dollars. The military variant of the Boeing 737-700 will serve as an early warning and control aircraft and will replace the old E-3 Sentry (AWACS), which is based on the Boeing 707.

The first E-7 Wedgetail will be delivered to the British Air Force in 2023. Earlier the RAF also ordered the P-8 Poseidon, the multimission maritime variant of the Boeing 737-800. The P-8s will enter service in 2020.

The Boeing E7A Wedgetail is a twin-engine airborne early warning and control aircraft. It is lighter than the 707-based Boeing E-3 Sentry, and mounts a fixed, active electronically scanned array radar antenna instead of a rotating one. It was designed for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) under “Project Wedgetail” and designated E-7A Wedgetail.

The E-7 has also been selected by the Turkish Air Force, The Republic of Korea Air Force and has been proposed to Italy and the United Arab Emirates.

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(Top photo: 대한민국 국군 Republic of Korea Armed Forces)