Aerospace

Britain to buy Wedgetail aircraft in nearly $2 billion deal

Britain’s Royal Air Force will operate a fleet of five Wedgetail early warning and control aircraft in an almost $2 billion deal with Boeing.

The British Ministry of Defence said in an announcement Mar 22 that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson had inked the deal with Boeing to provide a replacement for the current fleet of Sentry aircraft.

All five aircraft, based on the Boeing 737 NG airliner, will be modified to the E-7 AEW standard by local British company Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group based in Cambridge, eastern England.

The company is best known for modifying and supporting Lockheed Martin C-130 customers in Britain and elsewhere, but has also undertaken work recently on special role modifications on other platforms.

The deal is expected to sustain about 200 jobs at Marshall’s as well as potentially open the door to future support work.