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The E-7A, which will replace the E-3 Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) surveillance aircrafts, will provide advanced airborne moving target indication with real-time air picture and will be able to control and direct individual aircraft.
“The E-7A will be the Department’s principal airborne sensor for detecting, identifying, tracking and reporting all airborne activity to Joint Force Commanders,” said Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.
The value of this initial contract will not exceed $1.2 billion, according to the Department of the Air Force (DAF).
Other E-7 operators include the Royal Australian Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force, Turkish Air Force and the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force.
The total E-7A aircraft inventory is projected to be 26, the DAF said.
