NATO will update its aging airborne warning and control system (AWACS) fleet with the purchase of six Boeing E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft, it announced Wednesday.
The E-7 Wedgetail, a military variant of the Boeing 737 jet, will be equipped with a radar able to detect hostile aircraft, missiles, and ships at great distances. It is set to replace NATO’s fleet of E-3A AWACS aircraft that have operated since the 1980s.
