Boeing 737-700 AEWC
The Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, based on the commercial 737-700 airframe, replaces the older E-3 Sentry's large rotating radar dome with a fixed, flat radar panel mounted along the top of the fuselage, dubbed the 'top hat'. That fixed-panel radar has no moving parts and can look in multiple directions simultaneously, an advance over the older rotating-dome design it's gradually replacing in several air forces. Its commercial-airliner-derived airframe is cheaper to operate and maintain than the older 707-based E-3, since 737 parts and support infrastructure are far more widely available. Australia, the UK, and the United States have all adopted it as their next-generation airborne early warning aircraft.
Did you know?
The E-7 Wedgetail carries a fixed, flat 'top hat' radar panel instead of a rotating dome, replacing the older E-3 Sentry.
Specifications
| Length | 33.6 m (110 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 34.3 m (113 ft) |
| Height | 12.6 m (41 ft) |
| Persons on board | 128-149 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 70 t |
| Range | 3,200 NM (5,926 km) |
| Maximum speed | 470 kt (870 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 41,000 ft (12,497 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 35,000 ft (10,668 m) |
| Rate of climb | 3,000 ft/min (15.2 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 2,042 m (6,699 ft) |
| Landing distance | 1,372 m (4,501 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 26,000 l |
| Engines | 2x CFM56-7B |
| Units built | 15 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Boeing 737-700 AEWC starts as a Very rare catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Boeing, the 737-700 AEWC family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.
Browse all aircraft types, or learn to tell Airbus from Boeing.