8/28/2023 0 Comments Dossier fleet managementOn 26 November 2009, Boeing delivered the first two 737 AEW&Cs to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). On 20 June 2008, Boeing announced a further delay due to integration issues with the radar and Electronic Support Measure (ESM) systems. Additionally, Boeing incurred $770 million in charges over the delay in 2006. Boeing announced an 18-month delay due to problems integrating radar and sensor systems, and did not expect delivery until early 2009. On 29 June 2006, the Australian Minister for Defence, Brendan Nelson, stated that the Wedgetail was delayed despite Boeing's prior assurance that work was on schedule. Boeing Australia provides training, maintenance and support, BAE provides EWSP systems, Electronic Support Measures (ESM) systems and ground support systems. Boeing and Northrop teamed with Boeing Australia, and BAE Systems Australia. The first two Wedgetails were assembled, modified and tested in Seattle, Washington, while the remainder were modified by Boeing Australia, with deliveries once set to begin in 2006. Operational history Australia Royal Australian Air Force WedgetailĪustralia ordered four AEW&C aircraft with options for three additional aircraft, two of which have since been taken up. The cabin features eight operator consoles with sufficient space for four more the Australian fleet will operate ten consoles with space for two more (four on starboard side and six on the port side). In-flight refueling is via a receptacle on top of the forward fuselage. Other modifications include ventral fins to counterbalance the radar and countermeasures mounted on the nose, wingtips and tail. RAAF Wedgetail aerial refueling during Exercise RIMPAC 2012 Radar signal processing equipment and central computer are installed directly below the antenna array. In addition, the radar antenna array is also doubled as an ELINT array, with a maximum range of over 850 km at 9,000 metres (30,000 ft) altitude. The radar is capable of simultaneous air and sea search, fighter control and area search, with a maximum range of over 600 km (look-up mode). The electronically scanned AEW and surveillance radar is located on a dorsal fin on top of the fuselage, dubbed the "top hat", and is designed for minimal aerodynamic effect. It uses the Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar. The 737 AEW&C is roughly similar to the 737-700ER. In 1999, Australia awarded Boeing Integrated Defense Systems a contract to supply four AEW&C aircraft with options for three additional aircraft. In 1996, Australia issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the aircraft for the RAAF under Project Wedgetail, which refers to the indigenous eagle. Further studies led to the approval of the first phase of Project AIR 5077 in 1994. The Australian Department of Defence evaluated industry proposals for airborne surveillance and early warning systems as early as 1986. In April 2022, the United States Air Force announced that the E-7 will be replacing the E-3 beginning in 2027. The 737 AEW&C has also been selected by the Turkish Air Force (under "Project Peace Eagle", Turkish: Barış Kartalı, designated E-7T, the Republic of Korea Air Force ("Project Peace Eye", Korean: "피스 아이"), and the United Kingdom (designated Wedgetail AEW1). It was designed for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) under "Project Wedgetail" and designated E-7A Wedgetail. It is lighter than the 707-based Boeing E-3 Sentry, and has a fixed, active electronically scanned array radar antenna instead of a rotating one. The Boeing 737 AEW&C is a twin-engine airborne early warning and control aircraft based on the Boeing 737 Next Generation design.
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