NATO to buy 6 more ‘eyes in the sky’ planes

NATO announced Wednesday it has opted to buy six new E-7A Wedgetail surveillance planes built by US aircraft manufacturer Boeing as the 31-nation military alliance looks to update its eyes in the sky in coming years.

NATO’s fleet of 14 Airborne Warning and Control System, or AWACS, aircraft are outdated and expensive to maintain.

But their large fuselage-mounted radar domes can detect aircraft hundreds of miles away and they remain useful to monitor Russia’s war on Ukraine from NATO’s eastern flank.

NATO said that production of the six new Wedgetails a militarised version of the Boeing 737 jetliner will begin “in coming years,” with the first planes expected to be ready for duty by 2031.

No cost was provided for the planes, but based on US and UK contract information the price could hit USD 5 billion.

NATO’s contract with Boeing one of the military organization’s biggest ever purchases is set to be signed next year.

“Surveillance and control aircraft are crucial for NATO’s collective defence,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement announcing the move.