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UK E-7 Wedgetail delay down to a “technology issue”, as MoD grapples with slipping timelines

18th March 2026 - 13:28 GMT | by Lucy Powell in London, UK

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The E-7 Wedgetail aircraft is expected to be delivered to the UK Royal Air Force this year. (Photo: USAF)

The first of three E-7 Wedgetail aircraft, originally ordered in 2019, is now expected to be delivered to the RAF this year after multiple “difficulties”.

The delayed E-7 Wedgetail aircraft programme has come under fire again, as the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) wrestles with overseeing the delivery of key major defence programmes.

During a Defence Committee meeting on 17 March, Rupert Pearce, national armaments director at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that Boeing had been a “troubled partner” as the programme faced significant delays.

“They are working very hard…but as we know, they have had difficulties inside their own aircraft programmes,” Pearce said. “That has led to a much higher level of scrutiny at the certification process inside Boeing. That is not a bad

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Lucy Powell

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Lucy Powell


Lucy Powell is Shephard’s Air Reporter. An award-winning journalist with over four years in …

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