Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Accepted
Paragraph: 51
Serious threat to UK warfighting ability due to Airborne Early Warning capability gap
Conclusion
With only a limited number of (comparatively vulnerable) fixed and mobile land- based radars on UK soil, all of which would be primary targets for our opponents were the current Ukraine conflict to escalate, the capability gap in Airborne Early Warning & Control coverage created by the retirement of the E-3 Sentry and compounded by the delays to the E-7 Wedgetail and Crowsnest programmes presents a serious threat to the UK’s warfighting ability.
Government Response Summary
The government states that the Wedgetail programme, with a £2 billion procurement and further £2 billion sustainment investment, will provide a step change in Airborne Early Warning and Control capability. It acknowledges an increased risk during the transition but prioritises enabling NATO operations once Wedgetail enters service.
Paragraph Reference:
51
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Wedgetail programme replaces the E-3D Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, and will offer a step change in capability, providing 5th generation airborne surveillance, command and control that is essential to counter current and expected threats. The UK has committed c.£2 billion to the procurement of Wedgetail with a further £2 billion investment expected to sustain the capability out to 2042, a high proportion of which will be returned to the UK economy through UK-based suppliers. us to save more than £700 million, while still meeting both our key user requirements and Defence operational outputs with a smaller fleet. We accept there is some increased risk against the UK’s ability to provide sovereign commitments and the UK’s contribution to NATO, but these were factored into the overall decision. As with all capability, the Government will keep decisions on the appropriate size of our force under review, in line with the threats we face. The UK remains engaged with NATO via the regular series of meetings under the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Programme Management Organisation (NAPMO), where UK representatives update NATO on the latest developments of the UK Wedgetail programme. The priority for the UK Wedgetail programme is to enable the UK to conduct NATO operations at the earliest opportunity once it has entered service.