Pentagon's E-7 Wedgetail Cancellation Averted by House Action
The U.S. House of Representatives is taking a firm stance to keep the Air Force's E-7 Wedgetail development program alive, aiming to maintain a crucial airborne early warning and control capability that the Pentagon plans to replace with less suitable alternatives.
Last week, the House Armed Services Committee released legislation green-lighting $799.7 million to continue prototyping for the E-7 program, four times as much money as the Trump administration requested for Wedgetails this year. The service was initially slated to begin receiving the E-7s in fiscal 2028.
The House's decision to block the Defense Department from ending the program in 2026 is primarily driven by the operational importance of the Wedgetail and its predecessor, the E-3 AWACS. These aircraft provide theater-wide airborne command and control and early warning, crucial for missile and aircraft threat detection, which support combat operations, including potential China contingencies.
Military and former Air Force leaders argue that the Navy’s E-2 Hawkeye is not designed for the theater-wide role needed, and relying on space-based assets and a limited stopgap in E-2Ds may create capability gaps. Congress has inserted provisions in defense spending bills blocking funding cuts or redirection away from the E-7, showing a political pushback against the cancellation.
The House Rules Committee advanced an $831.5 billion defense spending package for 2026 that would block the Defense Department from ending the Air Force's E-7 prototyping contract with Boeing or shutting down production of the airborne target-tracking jet using 2026 funding. However, an amendment introduced by Rep. Donald Norcross to increase funding for the E-7 program by $300 million was left out of the final package.
The House proposal puts $500 million toward the Wedgetail effort to sustain airborne early warning capability while new options mature. If developed, the E-7 Wedgetail would perform the moving target indication mission, replacing the decades-old E-3s. Proponents of the new fleet argue that space-based tracking isn't mature enough to meet the U.S. military's short-term need.
Critics say the Wedgetail is too vulnerable to advanced air defenses wielded by the same militaries it's designed to watch. However, the House's willingness to push back on the Trump administration's decision to abandon one of the Air Force's highest-priority acquisitions suggests a broader concern for the program's importance to U.S. Air Force operational readiness and national defense.
A group of former four-star generals has made their concerns about the decision to abandon the E-7 program public, further highlighting the program's significance. The outcome of the Senate's decision remains uncertain, as they have not yet released a Pentagon budget blueprint for 2026, and the Senate Armed Services Committee hasn't published the full text of the defense policy bill it approved on July 11.
- The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation to fund the Air Force's E-7 Wedgetail development program, with a budget of $799.7 million, four times the amount requested by the Trump administration.
- The House Armed Services Committee blocks funding cuts or redirection away from the E-7 program, citing its operational importance and the need to maintain a crucial airborne early warning and control capability.
- The E-7 Wedgetail, if developed, would perform the moving target indication mission, replacing the decades-old E-3s, and would be a crucial asset for missile and aircraft threat detection in potential China contingencies.
- Critics argue that the Wedgetail is too vulnerable to advanced air defenses, but the House's pushback on the Trump administration's decision to abandon the E-7 program suggests a broader concern for the program's importance to U.S. Air Force operational readiness and national defense.
- Militarily, the Navy’s E-2 Hawkeye is not seen as suitable for the theater-wide role needed, and relying on space-based assets and a limited stopgap in E-2Ds may create capability gaps, according to military and former Air Force leaders.
- The Senate has yet to release a Pentagon budget blueprint for 2026, and the outcome of their decision regarding the E-7 program remains uncertain, with a group of former four-star generals having made their concerns about the decision public, further highlighting the program's significance.
