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On Friday, the U.S. Air Force announced it had reached a price agreement with Boeing for the E-7A Wedgetail weapon system rapid prototype program.
At a total contract value of $2.5 million, the agreement paves the way for the delivery of two operationally representative prototypes of the E-7A weapons systems.
“This agreement is a significant win for our warfighters, paving the way for ensuring the Air Force’s ability to provide advanced airborne moving target indication in the coming years,” Andrew Hunter, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, said. “It is also an exemplar of our ability to leverage and support the expertise and investments of our partners and allies to support our common security objectives.”
The rapid prototype program will integrate the U.S.-based mission systems into the existing E-7 airborne platforms to meet Air Force requirements while also ensuring the E-7 is interoperable with the Air Force’s coalition partners who are already using the E-7. Officials said the E-7A provides advanced airborne battle management, command and control, and moving target indication capabilities. The advanced multi-role electronically scanned radar array will provide the Air Force with improved situational awareness and enable long-range kill chains.
Until the E-7A is fielded, the Air Force will continue to rely on the E-3 AWACS, and ongoing E-3 modernization efforts meet national defense strategies. The E-3 will continue operations worldwide, as required by the Air Force and the U.S. Department of Defense.