NATO scraps plan to buy E-7
The group of nations leading the procurement of NATO’s next airborne early warning aircraft have decided to leave the door open to a European alternative after deciding to not move forward with an order for the American-made Boeing E-7.
The countries “have suspended the acquisition of the E-7.” Members are “now exploring alternatives for replacing the fleet and looking for new partners,” the Dutch defence ministry announced on Nov. 13, 2025 ending months of speculation.
As noted by the ministry the move follows the US decision to abandon its own plans to buy the aircraft.
The E-7s were due to replace the ageing fleet of Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) by 2035.
Because of the US announcement (that cited high production costs and concerns about the jet’s long-term survivability) NATO countries started to takeanother look at their choice of the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail in July, Euractiv first reported. The nations then reviewed their decision over the summer.
The decision to drop Boeing was both strategic and financial according to the Dutch ministry.
NATO’s AWACS aircraft are used not only to monitor potential threats to NATO allies in Europe, especially Russian activity in the Baltic and Eastern regions but they are also deployed to support major international events, like sporting events and high-level political summits.
It is not clear if picking a European aircraft instead of the E-7 is an option for the remaining countries.
According to Euractiv, Saab, that previously pitched its GlobalEye to NATO, remains confident its aircraft is an “excellent solution for any country with its array of modern active and passive sensors that provide long-range detection and identification of objects in the air, at sea, and over land.”
The Wedgetail
The E-7 provides a fully integrated, combat-proven, flexible command and control node that delivers multi-domain awareness in the most challenging operational environments. The E-7’s open systems architecture and agile software design enable the aircraft’s capabilities to evolve and remain ahead of future threats.
The E-7 tracks multiple airborne and maritime threats simultaneously with 360-degree coverage via the Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) sensor. MESA provides the warfighter with critical domain awareness to detect and identify adversarial targets at long range and dynamically adjusts to emerging tactical situations.
Other E-7 operators include the US Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force, Turkish Air Force and the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force.
The E-7 uses a well-established supply chain which significantly reduces maintenance and logistics costs and increases mission readiness on day one.
Converted from the Next-Generation 737-700, the E-7 capitalizes on existing commercial derivative aircraft design, certification and modification processes, allowing E-7s to be fielded to meet Air Force needs.
NATO E-3A fleet
NATO has operated a fleet of E-3A (AWACS) aircraft since the 1980s. Based at Geilenkirchen airbase in Germany, the AWACS have flown in every major NATO operation, including the fight against ISIS as well as on NATO’s eastern flank following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The E-7 is expected to have its main base at Geilenkirchen and could operate from several forward locations across Europe. The Wedgetail will be part of the Alliance’s future surveillance and control project which will field NATO’s next generation of surveillance systems from the mid-2030s.
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. E-3A Sentry, Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS), LX-N-90443. NATO E-3A Component, Geilenkirchen Air Base, GermanyPhoto credit: NATO, Boeing