First Boeing 737NG for RAF's Wedgetail programme arrived

On 7 January 2021, the first Boeing 737-73W (BBJ1) arrived at Birmingham (UK). The aircraft, registration N946BC (construction number 38633/3329), routed Bangor (ME) - Birmingham on the final leg and was completely stripped of paint.

The B737 will be converted to an Boeing E-7 Wedgetail AEW for the Royal Air Force (RAF) at STS Aviation.

In November 2020, Boeing announced that the fuselage sections for the first RAF E-7 Wedgetail arrived with STS Aviation Services at Birmingham airport. The fuselage part in question is named section 46, and it is the part where the Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) is installed upon.

This section will be fitted into the fuselage of a Boeing 737NG airliner. Originally, the RAF planned to purchase five of these aircraft but stories in the British press indicate that due to cut backs possibly as few as only three aircraft might be ordered. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) refuses to comment on these stories and refers to the upcoming UK Government Integrated Defense Review.

The first RAF Wedgetail is expected to be delivered in 2023 and will be based at RAF Lossiemouth. For logistical reasons it is more beneficial to co-locate both the Poseidon MRA1 and Wedgetail AEW1 at the same RAF station since they are both Boeing 737 derivatives. It will also ensure better utilisation of the recent investments at RAF Lossiemouth which totalled GBP 475 million. This included a GBP 100 million investment into a new maintenance and operations facility for the Poseidon, and a GBP 75 million runway upgrade.

Photos: Johan Ljungdahl and Delta Aircraft Photography