Europe Re‐configures AWACS Strategy Amid U.S. Withdrawal and Industrial Autonomy Drive
In late 2023, NATO launched the initial phase of its Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) programme, aimed at replacing the ageing fleet of 14 Boeing E‑3A Sentry airborne warning, surveillance, and control (AWACS) platforms by 2035. The plan envisaged the procurement of six Boeing E‑7A Wedgetail aircraft — a modern platform based on the 737 airframe — as a common European capability. However, the programme encountered a structural break when the United States Department of Defense formally withdrew in July 2025, citing cost inflation, development delays and concerns about aircraft survivability in contested environments. (Defense News) The U.S. exit effectively removed both the strategic anchor and financial guarantee underpinning the original plan; in consequence, key European participants (including the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Norway, Romania and Luxembourg) declared the Boeing E-7A acquisition unsustainable and opened an exploration of alternative solutions.