First Royal Air Force Wedgetail aircraft fitted with MESA surveillance sensor
The first Wedgetail for the RAF has had its MESA sensor installed. (Photo: Boeing)
The first of three Boeing E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) has been fitted with its Northrop Grumman MESA main sensor.
Northrop Grumman's Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) sensor has been successfully installed on an E-7 Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft for the RAF, the company announced on 4 November.
'Northrop Grumman’s in-service, combat-proven MESA system already provides mission crews with advanced Airborne Moving Target Indication (MTI) capability to support NATO assurance missions against evolving threats,' said Jack Hawkins, director, MESA, at the company.
'This advanced MTI will enhance UK forces’ ability to simultaneously detect, track and identify airborne and maritime adversary targets at long range, while maintaining continuous surveillance of the operational area.'
Australia, Turkey and South Korea have active fleets of Wedgetail aircraft, with completion work under way on the second and third systems for the UK. Shephard reported in February that the USAF has also indicated it will purchase the E-7/MESA combination to replace its ageing E-3 AWACS fleet.
Criticism has been levelled at the RAF's decision to cut its original order for Wedgetails from five to three aircraft, but the service was confident it had a full business case for the aircraft and that the fleet provided a meaningful ISR capability.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
E-7 Wedgetail (Second Order) [U.K.]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![Babcock nears first customer for Nomad AI translation tool]()
Babcock nears first customer for Nomad AI translation tool
Nomad can provide militaries with real-time intelligence, saving critical time on the battlefield.
-
![AUSA 2025: Israel’s Asio Technologies to supply hundreds of improved Taurus tactical systems]()
AUSA 2025: Israel’s Asio Technologies to supply hundreds of improved Taurus tactical systems
Taurus operates alongside the Israel Defense Forces’ Orion system which supports mission management across tens of thousands of manoeuvring forces, from squad leaders to battalion commanders.
-
![AUSA 2025: Kopin pushes micro-LED plans as China moves faster]()
AUSA 2025: Kopin pushes micro-LED plans as China moves faster
The plan for the new displays follows fresh investment in Kopin’s European facilities by Theon and an order for head-up displays in fielded aircraft, with funding from the US Department of Defense.
-
![AUSA 2025: Persistent Systems to complete its largest order by year’s end]()
AUSA 2025: Persistent Systems to complete its largest order by year’s end
Persistent Systems received its largest ever single order for its MPU5 devices and other systems earlier this month and has already delivered the 50 units to the US Army’s 4th Infantry Division.
-
![Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella]()
Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella
Turkey has joined the family of countries attempting to establish a multilayered air defence system with government approval in August 2024 for the effort landed by Aselsan. Dubbed Steel Dome, the programme joins Israel’s Iron Dome, the US Golden Dome, India’s Mission Sudarshan Chakra and South Korea’s low-altitude missile defence system.
-
![DSEI 2025: MARSS unveils new agnostic multidomain C4 system]()
DSEI 2025: MARSS unveils new agnostic multidomain C4 system
MARSS’ NiDAR system has been deployed using sensors from static platforms to provide detection and protection for static sights, such as critical infrastructure, ports and military bases.
