# @thevigilantheroes on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DLiLhGxvMct
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/66793573-thevigilantheroes-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/dba02aef56.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-06-30T17:54:51.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Vigilant Heroes (@thevigilantheroes) — https://gondola.cc/thevigilantheroes

## Caption

Airborne Pivot: USAF Cancels E-7 Wedgetail....Planning to use “space-based assets” & E-2 Hawkeyes 
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In a dramatic shift, the Pentagon is looking to cancel the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail program—once seen as the USAF’s future of airborne early warning and control...Officials say the decision, revealed in the FY2026 defense budget, stems from delays, cost hikes, and doubts over the E-7’s survivability in high-threat airspace (sadly, that’s largely the same rationale causing the A-10 Warthog to be retired).
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Originally meant to replace the aging E-3 Sentry fleet, the E-7A was already under contract, with 26 aircraft planned. Boeing’s confidence in congressional support hasn’t wavered, but the Pentagon is now pivoting hard—aiming instead for a space-based threat-tracking network and near-term reliance on the Navy’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.
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The E-2D is combat-proven but smaller, slower, and more limited in range and manpower than the Wedgetail. It’s carrier-capable and flexible enough for remote, austere bases—perfect for the “Agile Combat Employment” concept that’s all the hype lately. But it won’t be a seamless fit: radar line-of-sight, lower altitude operation, Navy-centric systems, and refueling method mismatches will all demand adaptation. $1.4B is earmarked to bridge this capability gap with joint expeditionary Hawkeyes.
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Meanwhile, questions remain over whether the space-based alternative—tasked to the U.S. Space Force—will mature fast enough to meet operational needs. Congress has yet to approve the plan, and the current continuing resolution still funds E-7 development through FY2025.
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With peer threats rising in the Arctic and Indo-Pacific, some lawmakers, like Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, remain unconvinced. “We’re limping along up north,” she said, citing concern over losing E-3/E-7 capabilities before the replacement is truly ready.
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The USAF’s strategic pivot is a major recalibration of how it plans to command the skies in #futurewar ....We’ll keep you updated: thevigilantheroes
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#airforce #E3 #E7 #USAF #airpower #spaceforce #defense #budget #military #avgeek #instaaviation #hawkeye

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## Tags

defense, budget, avgeek, instaaviation, e3, usaf, spaceforce, military, futurewar, airpower, hawkeye, e7, airforce

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