E-7A Wedgetail

The E-7A Wedgetail is Boeing's airborne Early Warning and control (AEW&c) platform, built on the 737-700 airframe and equipped with the Multirole Electronically Scanned Array (Mesa) radar. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operates six aircraft of the type, designated E-7A in Australian service. Australia committed one E-7A to the European Hormuz Coalition standby force on 18 May 2026, providing the Coalition with its only organic air-surveillance and command-and-control asset at the time of commitment.

The Mesa radar operates in both elevation and azimuth dimensions simultaneously, giving the E-7A a 360-degree coverage envelope versus the one-dimensional scan of older rotodome systems. The aircraft can detect and track several hundred targets simultaneously, manage Coalition air traffic, and relay data via Link 16. This makes it a force-multiplier for multi-national operations where air-picture sharing between different national systems is otherwise difficult.

Australia's choice to commit an AEW&c aircraft rather than a surface combatant reflects both RAAF capability and strategic signalling: Canberra positions the deployment as surveillance and Coalition-coordination, not direct strike or mine clearance, giving it political distance from combat operations while still contributing a high-value asset. No rules of engagement have been published.