Congress Revives Air Force E-7 Jet Funding Despite Pentagon Pushback

Funding for the Air Force’s new E-7 Wedgetail radar jet was included in the bipartisan agreement reached Sunday evening to end the longest-ever government shutdown, despite opposition from the Pentagon, which has sought to terminate the program.

The 31-page continuing resolution that would fund the government through January includes nearly 200 million dollars for “continued rapid prototyping activities to maintain program schedule and transition to production” of the E-7 early warning and control aircraft. Similar funding measures were included in earlier versions of the National Defense Authorization Act, the Defense Appropriations Act, and a September stopgap bill.

“Other programs will be funded through January 30th, while the Senate and House continue work on the remainder of the year-long appropriations bills,” said Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I look forward to voting for this legislation and ending the unnecessary harm to the security of our families and our nation.”

While several procedural steps remain before final passage, the inclusion of the E-7 marks a victory for Boeing, which manufactures the Wedgetail. A company spokesperson declined to comment on the measure, and the Air Force did not respond to a request for comment.

Congressional backing for the radar jet, more than 40 days into the shutdown, stands in contrast to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s criticism of the aircraft’s survivability and the Air Force’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal cutting its funding. The Pentagon has instead pointed to growing investments in space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

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Defense experts say lawmakers’ move reflects uncertainty about the Space Force’s ability to quickly deploy its Airborne Moving-Target Indication systems.

“If it passes, this is a big win for Boeing, and it shows that many in Congress still have doubts about how quickly the Space Force can deploy the AMTI system it funded in the reconciliation bill a few months ago,” said Todd Harrison, a defense budget expert with the American Enterprise Institute. “This is Congress hedging its bets on the airborne warning mission.”

Earlier this year, Hegseth told lawmakers the E-7 was an example of a platform that “is not survivable in the modern battlefield or doesn’t give us an advantage in a future fight.” Defense officials also cited “significant delays with cost increases” as justification for the cut.

The E-7 was designed to replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of E-3 Sentry aircraft. Boeing and the Air Force agreed last year to build two test planes for delivery in 2028 at a cost of 2.6 billion dollars. A June Government Accountability Office report said those costs had since risen by 884 million dollars, a 33 percent increase.

In September, the British government announced that the two E-7 prototypes would be built in the United Kingdom.

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Editor’s Note:

This article details how Congress pushed through nearly $200 million in funding for the Air Force’s E-7 Wedgetail radar jet as part of a bipartisan deal to end the historic government shutdown, despite Pentagon plans to eliminate the program. The decision underscores growing tension between lawmakers and defense officials over the future of airborne surveillance systems and reflects Congress’s broader concerns about the readiness of space-based alternatives.