Wedgetail to Replace RAF Sentries?

摘要

Speaking ahead of the October NATO conference, UK Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson MP, announced that the Ministry of Defence is in discussion with Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force about the potential for the E-7 Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to replace the current E-3D Sentry fleet. Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "The Wedgetail is the stand-out performer in our pursuit of a new battlespace surveillance aircraft and has already proved itself in Iraq and Syria. Running air operations from the sky, it could be an excellent asset for the RAF and give us a real edge in this increasingly complex world. "Our future with Australia will already see us operate the same maritime patrol aircraft, world-class Type 26 warships and supersonic F-35 jets. Wedgetail may join that formidable armoury and help us work together to take on the global threats that we both face." The Wedgetail uses a standard Boeing 737 airliner modified to carry a sophisticated Northrop Grumman active electronically-scanned radar.