Two of Britain’s new E-7 aircraft airborne

Two RAF Boeing E-7 Wedgetail aircraft flew simultaneously on October 8 for the first time, marking progress in the UK's airborne early-warning flight-test program. WT001 operated from RAF Lossiemouth as Boeing 31, while WT002 flew from MOD Boscombe Down as Boeing 38 after outfitting work at Birmingham. The 737-derived aircraft carry Northrop Grumman's Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array radar, which uses electronic scanning rather than a rotating radar dome. The two airframes account for two-thirds of the planned three-aircraft British fleet, with their concurrent flights representing a testing milestone rather than declaration of full operational capability.