Wedgetail

House appropriators release $1 trillion defense bill for FY27

The bill also restores funding for the E-7 Wedgetail after Defense Department leaders signaled their intent to continue the program.

Air Force seeks to scrap its E-11 BACN fleet

An Air Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense following the hearing that there are seven E-11s in the current fleet, and confirmed that the plan is to replace them with the emerging DAF (Department of the Air Force) Battle Network. 

Air Force strategy to protect aircraft was designed for China. Will it work for Iran?

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the US had "maxed out" its defensive posture, but Iran managed to strike US aircraft in Saudi Arabia anyway.

UK defense official: Boeing has been ‘troubled partner’ in much delayed E-7 program

Despite the UK once committing to field Wedgetail in the “early” 2020s, it was revealed last year that a new timeframe of 2026 had been approved.

With funding flush, Space Force hopes to speed satellites to track aircraft, missiles

Gen. Chance Saltzman, Space Force chief, said the work already done to design a satellite system for tracking ground targets should also help speed AMTI capabilities to orbit.

The state of play in military space

The military space sector is evolving fast. Get the latest from Space Force and industry officials on what’s next for acquisition, policy and training in a new Breaking Defense eBook.

AMTI ASAP: Space Force readying multi-source acquisition for satellites to track aircraft

"So the focus is going to be on delivering AMTI [airborne moving target indication] capability very quickly," Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said.

Congress votes to reopen the government, with extra money for Wedgetail, Navy shipbuilding

The government shut down Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass an FY26 budget.

Republicans tee up short-term CR extending Pentagon funding until November

The continuing resolution does not include $3.9 billion requested by the White House for the Columbia-class submarine, but gives funding flexibility to other key programs.

EXCLUSIVE: SDA eyeing airborne target tracking satellites demonstration, says Tournear

"I would say that we are at the point now where the technology has matured and it's commoditized, so that radar based AMTI from space is feasible," outgoing SDA Director Derek Tournear told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview.

Can Congress pass a FY26 defense budget this year? Here are 12 key issues for lawmakers.

As Congress returns from August recess, Breaking Defense examined how each defense committee is looking at a dozen major programs, from Golden Dome to F/A-XX to the cancellation of the E-7 Wedgetail.

Space Force launching sats to ‘enable’ GMTI ahead of mission-dedicated birds in 2028

Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, the Space Force’s deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber and nuclear, also said the service expects to complete an analysis of alternatives by this fall for a separate but related effort to track airborne targets from the heavens.

UK closes in on build of first E-7 Wedgetail, keeps faith in program amid US Air Force cancellation

In all, the estimated £1.89 billion ($2.57 billion) British E-7 program had completed a total of three test flights as of May, according to a parliamentary statement from Maria Eagle, UK defence procurement minister.

House committee’s NDAA authorizes more money for Ukraine, thwarts troop reductions in Europe

HASC’s version of the NDAA sticks closely to the Pentagon’s own FY26 budget — a departure from a typical year where lawmakers divert funding to bolster high-priority programs.