The Wedgetail aircraft is intended to give Australia an airborne AEW capability. This can be seen as evidence of the necessity of these aircraft, in spite of their high cost. Based on a Boeing 737-700 airframe, with the MESA phased-array radar mounted on top of the fuselage, Australia plans to buy six aircraft at a cost of $190 million each. Planning for the project began in 1997, with Boeing picked as the prime contractor in 1999. The first flight is scheduled for May 2004. The first two aircraft will be delivered in November 2006, and enter service in 2007. Wedgetail AEW Gun Atk: -- Man Rtg: 0. 5/0. 5 Size/Signature: Large/Large In Service: 2007 Counterm: 4th Gen D Bombsight: None Sensors: MESA radar, 3rd Gen ESM Performance: Speed in Knots Throttle Setting Altitude Cruise Full Mil Reheat V/Low: 380 (1. 6) 460 (1. 9) -- Med: 380 (1. 6) 460 (1. 9) -- High: 380 (1. 6) 460 (1. 9) -- Ceiling: 12464 m Engine Type: TF Endurance Data Inflight Refuel: Y/B Cruise Range: 3800 nm Internal Fuel: ? ? ? kg Ordnance Loadouts: Payload: -- Remarks: Based on hybrid Boeing 737-700/800. Nov 06: : First aircraft delivered, then one every 5 months. Future upgrades might include Link 16, , Link 22, IDM and IRST. MESA Radar Mode Large Med Small VSml Stealthy Other AS 170 107 80 34 10 360° arc AS 216 136 102 43 13 120° arc SS 150 84 48 27 15 - BT Back to The Naval Sitrep # 26 Table of Contents Back to Naval Sitrep List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List & copy Copyright 2004 by Larry Bond and Clash of Arms. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history and related articles are available at http://www.magweb.com