Maintenance and Modifications
The Thin End of the E-7 Wedge(tail)
Early warning system arriving late
E-7 Wedgetail arrives at Scotland’s RAF Lossiemouth
The UK’s first E-7 Wedgetail arrived at Scotland’s RAF Lossiemouth on May 21, 2026, where it is continuing its test and evaluation phase.

Five years after the UK retired its last airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft, the RAF’s replacement is still working through “the final stages of ground and flight testing,” with Boeing Defence UK (BDUK) acknowledging that there is “obviously some work ahead” before the first E-7 Wedgetail AEW Mk1 enters service.

The modified Boeing 737 has flown just 10 test sorties since completing its missionization conversion at Birmingham’s STS Aviation Services in 2024, following a protracted test and evaluation process that included testing at RAF Boscombe Down. It remains unclear whether the aircraft’s Northrop Grumman radar—the core mission sensor the aircraft must demonstrate—has been tested in flight.

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