European NATO countries scrap plan to buy Boeing E-7 Wedgetail AWACS

PARIS — The Netherlands and a number of European NATO partners are scrapping plans to buy six Boeing E-7 Wedgetail aircraft to replace the alliance’s fleet of aging Boeing E-3A airborne warning and control systems, the Dutch Ministry of Defence said.

The United States withdrew from the AWACS replacement program in July, removing the strategic and financial base of the program, the Netherlands’ MoD said in a statement on Thursday. The remaining six NATO countries are now exploring alternatives and looking at new partners, it said.

NATO operates a fleet of 14 E-3As from Geilenkirchen in Germany that represents Europe’s primary AWACS capacity. The aircraft will reach the end of their lifespan by 2035 and are a source of noise pollution, the Dutch MoD said.

“The commitment remains to have other, quieter aircraft operational before 2035,” Dutch State Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman said in the statement. “The withdrawal by the U.S. in addition shows the importance of investing as much as possible in the European industry.”

AWACS aircraft with their radar systems and communication equipment play an “essential role” in securing NATO airspace and commanding air operations, the Netherlands said.

The US Department of Defense said in July it was canceling the E-7 Wedgetail program , citing significant delays and cost increases, as well as survivability concerns in a contested environment, instead planning to invest in space-based capabilities and additional E-2D Hawkeye aircraft.

The E-3A is a modified version of the Boeing 707, an aircraft model dating to the 1950s, with a visually distinctive radar dome planted on the fuselage in front of the aircraft’s tail fin. The E-7 is based on the more modern Boeing 737.

The main European alternative to the E-7 is Saab’s GlobalEye, with the company’s CEO Micael Johansson in October saying the company was seeing “huge interest” for the plane, including from NATO, Germany and Denmark, as well as other countries. The system is built around a Saab radar and sensors mounted on a Bombardier long-range business jet.

Dassault Aviation has proposed a modified version of its Falcon 10X for the AWACS role, though that system’s prospects took a hit when France said in June it would buy Saab’s GlobalEye.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——荷兰国防部表示，荷兰和一些欧洲北约伙伴国正在取消购买六架波音E-7“楔尾”预警机的计划，以取代北约老旧的波音E-3A空中预警和控制系统机队。

荷兰国防部周四发表声明称，美国已于7月退出预警机（AWACS）替代项目，从而切断了该项目的战略和财政基础。声明还指出，北约其余六个成员国目前正在探索替代方案并寻找新的合作伙伴。

北约在德国盖伦基兴基地部署了14架E-3A预警机，代表了欧洲主要的预警机能力。荷兰国防部表示，这些飞机将于2035年达到使用寿命终点，并且会造成噪音污染。

荷兰国防国务秘书吉斯·图因曼在声明中表示：“我们仍然致力于在2035年前让其他更安静的飞机投入使用。美国的退出也凸显了尽可能多地投资欧洲工业的重要性。”

荷兰方面表示，预警机及其雷达系统和通信设备在保障北约空域安全和指挥空中行动方面发挥着“至关重要的作用”。

美国国防部在 7 月份宣布取消 E-7 楔尾鹰预警机项目，理由是该项目严重延误、成本增加，以及在对抗环境中生存能力不足，转而计划投资于天基能力和更多的 E-2D 鹰眼预警机。

E-3A是波音707的改进型，波音707是20世纪50年代的一款飞机，其外观最显著的特征是机身上、尾翼前方安装了一个雷达罩。E-7则是基于更现代的波音737。

欧洲主要的E-7替代机型是萨博公司的GlobalEye。该公司首席执行官米凯尔·约翰逊在10月份表示，包括北约、德国、丹麦以及其他国家在内的各方对这款飞机表现出了“巨大的兴趣”。该系统以萨博公司的雷达和传感器为基础，安装在庞巴迪公司的远程公务机上。

达索航空曾提出对其猎鹰 10X 进行改进，使其能够胜任预警机角色，但法国在 6 月份宣布将购买萨博的 GlobalEye 预警机，这打击了该系统的前景。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。