U.S. Air Force ‘Limping’ with Obsolete E-3 AEW&C ‘Flying Radars’

Plans by the U.S. Department of Defence announced in early June to cancel the planned procurement of E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems have faced mounting opposition from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, as this threatens to leave the Air Force indefinitely reliant on an increasingly obsolete fleet of E-3 Sentry systems procured during the Cold War. AEW&Cs carry by far the largest airborne radars in the world, and are relied on to control the tactical battlespace, using data links to increase to significantly increase the situational awareness of U.S. and allied networks. They also have the ability to guide missiles fired by fighters, ships, or ground-based systems to their targets using their powerful sensors. Such aircraft are particularly critical in Western air forces, as Western fighter planes on average carry much smaller radars than their Russian and Chinese counterparts. TheRussian Su-30 and Chinese J-16 fighters, for example, carry raiders approximately three times the size of that of the American F-35, and over twice as large as that of the F-22, which makes support from AEW&Cs vital to compensate for this.

The importance of replacing the E-3 was previously highlighted by commander of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces General Kenneth Wilsbach, who noted in March 2022 shortly after the first encounter with Chinese J-20 stealth fighters was confirmed: “our early warning aircraft could not see the J-20… Those sensors that we rely on on the E-3 aren’t really capable in the twenty-first century especially against a [stealth] platform like the J-20 or something similar to that. It just can’t see those platforms far enough out to be able to provide an advantage to the shooters.” “That’s why I would like to have the E-7,” he added. As the ageing E-3s suffered from mounting maintenance issues, which resulted in very low availability rates, the Pacific Air Forces were often left with no active AEW&C capability whatsoever. Advances in Chinese stealth fighter programs were seen to have been a leading factor stimulating investment in procuring a successor to the E-3 to phase the older aircraft out of service.

The cancellation of planned E-7 procurements has been widely criticised both for its potential to seriously erode the U.S. Air Force’s future ability to track Chinese stealth fighters in the Pacific, and due to its very significant implications for the defence of American airspace, in particular over Alaska. Commenting on the issue, Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski previously warned that “we were all counting on the E-7 Wedgetail coming our way,” while the obsolescence of the “barely operational” E-3 fleet meant “we’re kind of limping along up north right now.” In contrast to the Pentgaon’s hesitation to procure the E-7, China’s air force is set to continue to procure cutting edge KJ-500 AEW&Cs in significantly numbers, while the new KJ-3000 AEW&C is being developed as a heavier counterpart with an even larger radar to serve alongside it.

The utility of AEW&C systems has been highlighted in recent conflicts both in the Ukrainain theatre, and in South Asia. The Russian Aerospace Forces have utilised their small fleet of A-50U AEW&C systems to guide both 40N6 surface-to-air missiles and R-37M air-to-air missiles towards their targets, allowing S-400 air defence systems and Su-35 fighters using these respective missiles to hit targets far beyond the ranges of their own sensor suites. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Pakistan in early May also used AEW&C systems to guide PL-15 air-to-air missiles launched by J-10C fighters towards their targets, with this kill chain credited with shooting down between one and four Rafale fighters. Pakistan is reported to be considering procuring the KJ-500 from China to further strengthen its aerial kill chains, while Russia is working to complete the much delayed development of the new A-100 AEW&C for its own fleet to succeed the A-50.