WASHINGTON — Following fierce pushback from lawmakers, the Pentagon is retreating from plans to cancel the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail and now plans to fund the aircraft, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today.
In testimony before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, Hegseth explained that “there are gaps that need to still be filled” on the modern battlefield, listing the Wedgetail as a platform that could perform relevant missions.
“So we’ve actually sent a budget amendment to OMB [White House Office of Management and Budget] to add that. I think it has a future, it has a place on the battlefield,” he said in response to questions from Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican.
Asked about Hegseth’s comments, an Air Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense that the fiscal 2027 budget request “does not include funding for the E-7 Wedgetail but the Air Force is evaluating options to resource the E-7 program in FY 2027 to deliver Rapid Prototyping aircraft and continue Engineering and Manufacturing Development activities.”
The revival of the aircraft, which performs early warning, target tracking as well as airborne command and control missions, represents a stark about-face for the Trump administration, which originally cited survivability and cost concerns when it zeroed funding for the Wedgetail in its FY26 budget request. Last year during a similar exchange with Cole, Hegseth testified that the E-7 is “not survivable in the modern battlefield.” The aircraft’s key task of tracking airborne targets, Hegseth said, could be shifted to space-based sensors.
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Congress was not persuaded, raising concerns about gaps in airborne detection. Lawmakers threw a lifeline to the aircraft in the FY26 budget, and the Air Force has since continued the E-7 program according to congressional direction.
This year the Pentagon renewed its resistance and refused to fund the aircraft in FY27 as well. Testifying before lawmakers April 30, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink confirmed that the Air Force contracted for five additional E-7 aircraft in addition to two rapid prototypes currently underway — far from the 26 aircraft originally envisioned when initial contracts were signed with plane-maker Boeing in 2023. Meink added that the Air Force was interested in working with lawmakers to continue the Wedgetail program, despite nixing its funding.
So why the change of heart? According to Hegseth, “I know our department had taken the position that it was airborne or other satellite ISR, that was probably going to be capable of a lot of that in the future. But I think that mindset was indicative of a mindset that we’ve shed, which is to divest to invest” or an “austerity mindset,” he said today.
Cole, who represents Tinker Air Force Base where the E-7 is expected to replace the E-3 Sentry, praised the decision to continue the Wedgetail.
“Thank you for rethinking that,” Cole told Hegseth today.
The E-7’s new lease on life at the Pentagon could be a significant boon to Boeing, where officials previously anticipated building as many as six Wedgetails a year to satisfy booming domestic and international demand. While the US military’s abandonment of the aircraft prompted other customers like NATO to renege on similar commitments, the US procuring the aircraft once again could boost its attractiveness for foreign buyers.
A Boeing spokesperson said in a statement that the company is “proud to support the U.S. Air Force’s Airborne Early Warning & Control fleet with unmatched capabilities for greater situational awareness and battle management. We’re committed to providing our customers operational advantage for mission success.”
Valerie Insinna contributed reporting.