BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom,
Sept. 20,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has completed
the first flight of the UK's E-7 Wedgetail for the Royal Air Force
(RAF).
A Boeing flight-test crew conducted functional checks during the
first flight from Birmingham Airport, marking a significant
milestone in the programme's test and evaluation phase.
Currently unpainted, the aircraft is one of three 737 NG
aircraft on British soil undergoing modification by a highly
skilled team of over 100 people at STS Aviation Services in
Birmingham.
"This safe and systematic Functional Check Flight is an
important step for Boeing and the RAF as part of our rigorous and
extensive testing and evaluation," said Stu
Voboril, Boeing vice president and E-7 program manager. "Our
team is committed to ensuring the E-7 delivers the safety, quality,
and capabilities we've promised to our customer as we prepare for
delivery of the UK's first E-7 Wedgetail to the RAF."
Group Captain Richard Osselton, RAF Programme Director for
Wedgetail said, "Achieving the first flight of Wedgetail is a
significant milestone, representing an outstanding effort from the
RAF programme team, DE&S, Boeing and STS Aviation. We will now
build on this success and look forward to continuing the Test &
Evaluation phase as part of our preparations for the aircraft to
enter into service."
DE&S Director Air Support, Richard
Murray, said, "This first flight marks a significant
milestone for the programme and for our team who have worked
tirelessly with our partners to progress what is a hugely complex
endeavour. We are moving forward and will be delivering this
critical capability to the RAF."
The combat-proven E-7 detects and identifies adversarial targets
at long range and tracks multiple airborne and maritime threats
simultaneously with 360-degree coverage via the Multi-role
Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) sensor. It provides the
warfighter with critical multi-domain awareness and
command-and-control decision advantage.
"We're proud of the robust E-7 modification line we've stood up
in the UK to deliver the RAF's future Airborne Early Warning &
Control fleet," said Maria Laine,
president of Boeing UK, Ireland
and the Nordics. "We are committed to delivering this crucial
capability to support the UK's national security and contribute
toward regional stability."
The future UK E-7 fleet will operate from RAF Lossiemouth in
Scotland, where Boeing's local
suppliers and contractors are nearing completion of the
infrastructure facilities to support its introduction into
service.
The RAF participates in a tri-lateral agreement with the Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF) and U.S. Air Force (USAF) toward
cooperative Wedgetail interoperability, capability development,
evaluation and testing, sustainment, operations, training, and
safety.
The RAAF, the Republic of Korea Air Force, and the Turkish Air
Force currently operate the E-7. Boeing is also building two rapid
prototype E-7 aircraft for USAF and in 2023, NATO announced the
selection of the E-7 for its AEW&C mission. The growing global
E-7 fleet provides mission systems interoperability, mission
readiness and lifecycle cost advantages, as well as a common
technical growth path to stay ahead of global threats.
Later this autumn, following a series of flight tests and
further evaluation, the aircraft will depart to a paint facility to
receive its RAF livery.
About Boeing in the United
Kingdom
As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops,
manufactures, and services commercial airplanes, defense products
and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. The
company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance
economic opportunity, sustainability, and community impact. Boeing
has a UK workforce of over 4,000 people, including career starters,
veterans and reserves across the country and has spent more than
£13.7bn with over 950 UK-based suppliers since 2015. For more
information, visit www.boeing.co.uk or follow us on X
@BoeingUK.
Contact
Georgina Ramin
Boeing UK Communications
+44 7552 254770
georgina.ramin@boeing.com
Boeing Media Relations
media@boeing.com
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SOURCE Boeing