Close Menu
Firearms Forever
  • Home
  • Hunting
  • Guns
  • Defense
  • Videos
Trending Now

First Look: Taurus 817 Revolver

August 5, 2025

Anduril becomes third US supplier of rocket motors, company says

August 5, 2025

The D Brief: DTIC, downsizing; INDOPACOM’s ‘Expeditionary foundry’; New solid-rocket maker emerges; NASA eyes moon reactor; And a bit more.

August 5, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Firearms Forever
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Hunting
  • Guns
  • Defense
  • Videos
Firearms Forever
Home»Defense»US Air Force’s nascent radar plane faces the axe
Defense

US Air Force’s nascent radar plane faces the axe

Tim HuntBy Tim HuntJune 10, 20253 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
US Air Force’s nascent radar plane faces the axe

The Air Force’s plan to buy 26 new E-7 Wedgetail radar planes is in jeopardy as the Pentagon shifts its focus to space-based surveillance, the defense secretary said Tuesday. 

The service has already spent more than $1 billion to develop and begin production of its first two E-7s, which it has long argued are the more capable, more survivable successors to the decades-old E-3 AWACS needed for airborne domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific. But the program may be in trouble amid a Pentagon-wide review of major defense acquisition programs and a push to do more from space.

“If we have systems and platforms that are not survivable in the modern battlefield or they don’t give us an advantage in a future fight, we have to make the tough decisions right now…so the E-7 is an example of that,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a House appropriations defense subcommittee hearing. 

Instead, Hegseth said, the Pentagon will fund “existing programs” more robustly—but it’s unclear whether he was talking about upgrading today’s AWACS aircraft or accelerating efforts to orbit satellites that can do intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. But he did say that DOD is funding programs that will “surpass” airborne ISR capabilities, and predicted that in the future, most ISR would be done from space.

Hegseth said he’s “willing to continue to review” the E-7 program, but that “investments in existing systems that carry forward that capability, alongside even bigger investments in space-based ISR, gives us the kind of advantages we need on a future battlefield.”

Meanwhile, some lawmakers remain bullish on the program. The House Appropriations committee added $500 million to the program in its 2026 draft defense spending bill, even though the Pentagon has yet to release its full 2026 budget proposal. 

A cut or cancellation to the E-7 program would be a major blow to Boeing. The company and the service reached a deal last year for two test aircraft, after negotiations dragged on for over  a year. The price tag for the first two Wedgetails, which are expected to be delivered in 2028, at a whopping $2.6 billion.

While Hegseth’s comments don’t bode well for the E-7 program, the Air Force’s budget hasn’t been released yet, so it’s unclear how much the program will be cut. An Air Force spokesperson said they don’t have further details. Boeing declined to comment. 

Last month, Air Force Chief Gen. David Allvin testified that the E-7 is currently the only platform that can fill the role of the E-3, and that the service can’t resurrect the E-3 because it is a “dying platform.”

Asked about migrating ISR to space, Allvin said “we just need to ensure that we’re adequately covering all parts of that as we do that migration before we just go from one domain to another.”

Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman reiterated Allvin’s point during the May 6 hearing and said no one system will be able to fill the “full spectrum of operations” so there needs to be “a mix of systems.”



Read the full article here

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram Reddit Email
Previous ArticleCatch a Crayfish, Count the Stars: Become a Backyard Bird-Watcher
Next Article Officer Recovers From Near-Fatal Shooting – Waking Up in the Hospital with TJ Webb | Mike Drop 208

Related Posts

Anduril becomes third US supplier of rocket motors, company says

August 5, 2025

The D Brief: DTIC, downsizing; INDOPACOM’s ‘Expeditionary foundry’; New solid-rocket maker emerges; NASA eyes moon reactor; And a bit more.

August 5, 2025

Consolidate NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM

August 5, 2025

Malicious states are working to weaponize open-source software: report

August 5, 2025

Pentagon slashes staff of R&D repository by nearly 80%

August 5, 2025

Sunday Shoot-a-Round # 292

August 5, 2025
Don't Miss

Anduril becomes third US supplier of rocket motors, company says

By Tim HuntAugust 5, 2025

Defense technology startup Anduril has become the third U.S. supplier of solid rocket motors, breaking…

The D Brief: DTIC, downsizing; INDOPACOM’s ‘Expeditionary foundry’; New solid-rocket maker emerges; NASA eyes moon reactor; And a bit more.

August 5, 2025

First Look: Beretta 92 FS Olive Drab Green

August 5, 2025

Consolidate NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM

August 5, 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest firearms news and updates directly to your inbox.

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Contact
© 2025 Firearms Forever. All Rights Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.