RAAF Wedgetail
AEW&C aircraft (photo : Aus DoD)
The Airborne
Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) Wedgetail aircraft has achieved Initial
Operational Capability, providing Australia with the most advanced air
battlespace management capabilities in the world. .
The
achievement follows close collaboration between the Royal Australian Air Force,
the Defence Materiel Organisation, Boeing and their subcontractors.
The
Wedgetail aircraft can fly 10,000 metres above the earth’s surface and maintain
surveillance over a surface area of 400,000 square kilometres at any given
time. Over a 10-hour mission the Wedgetail can cover over 4 million square
kilometres.
Since 2011
Wedgetail has participated in Exercise Bersama Lima in Malaysia, Exercise Cope
North Guam, Exercise Bersama Shield, Exercise Red Flag, Alaska and most
recently Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
The project
was approved in 2000 with a budget of $3.45 billion to procure six 737-700
commercial aircraft which were then fitted with an advanced multi-role
electronically scanned radar and 10 mission crew consoles.
Initial
Operational Capability is the minimum standard required by Defence to operate
the fleet and takes into account not only the aircraft itself, but also
logistics, sustainment, as well as training of aircrews, ground crews and
technical support staff.
(Aus DoD)
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