The event saw the company’s flight test team conduct functional checks of the system before its launch.

The plane will undergo additional live assessments as part of the program’s primary evaluation phase this autumn.

Boeing will also send the aircraft to another center that will finalize the hull’s livery outfitting.

“This safe and systematic Functional Check Flight is an important step for Boeing and the RAF as part of our rigorous and extensive testing and evaluation,” Boeing VP and E-7 Program Manager Stu Voboril remarked.

“Our team is committed to ensuring the E-7 delivers the safety, quality, and capabilities we’ve promised to our customer as we prepare for delivery of the UK’s first E-7 Wedgetail to the RAF.”

‘Significant Milestone’

Boeing accepted the contract to build five E-7s in 2019 to replace the British government’s decommissioned E-3 Sentry fleet, which operated for the same purpose since the 1990s.

The $1.98-billion planes are set to achieve operational capability by 2025.

“This first flight marks a significant milestone for the programme and for our team who have worked tirelessly with our partners to progress what is a hugely complex endeavour,” UK Defence Equipment & Support Director Richard Murray commented on the latest trial.

“We are moving forward and will be delivering this critical capability to the RAF.”

Local E-7 Development Centers Now Ready

The UK’s Wedgetail initiative involved the construction of hangars in Lossiemouth, Scotland, last year to support the Wedgetail’s in-country engineering works.

The site will house works for the three upcoming E-7s as well as other military aircraft once the program concludes.

London announced the inauguration of the $103-million center in September 2024. It will be managed by over 175 on-site personnel at the project’s peak, according to the government.

“We’re proud of the robust E-7 modification line we’ve stood up in the UK to deliver the RAF’s future Airborne Early Warning & Control fleet,” Boeing UK, Ireland and the Nordics President Maria Laine commented.

“We are committed to delivering this crucial capability to support the UK’s national security and contribute toward regional stability.”

Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail

The E-7 Wedgetail has a 34-meter (112-foot) fuselage and a 36-meter (118-foot) wingspan.

It is flown by two pilots, with functions run by up to 10 mission personnel. In 2022, the UK’s first E-7 platform received its main sensor suite.

The Wedgetail is powered by turbofans for a range of 6,500 kilometers (4,039 miles), a speed of  853 kilometers (530 miles) per hour, and a service ceiling of 12,500 meters (41,011 feet).

The post Boeing Completes Maiden Flight of Future British Wedgetail Early Warning Aircraft appeared first on The Defense Post.

The demonstration is part of the service’s research on modern training approaches that could amplify airmen’s preparations, boosting the production of frontline fighter pilots in the future.

To be held later this year, the effort will evaluate the Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS) developed by Florida-based AR firm Red 6.

ATARS displays virtual enemies through a visor, assisting operators in practicing their localization, identification, and neutralization skills alongside other aircraft or synthetic personnel in a dynamic environment.

The air force said the AR technology is expected to reduce the dependency on live assets, increase fuel efficiency, and generate more training sessions per flying hour for warfighters.

Work for the associated integrations will be conducted in partnership with the British government’s National Security Strategic Investment Fund.

Enhancing Pilot Training

According to the Royal Air Force, the results from the upcoming ATARS flight test will contribute to the service’s ongoing feasibility processes that would approve AR solutions for future flight training strategies.

Once accepted, ATARS will be further developed to integrate constant update functions, adapting the capability to the service’s evolving training requirements.

“Exploitation of novel technologies is an essential part of ensuring the RAF is able to sustain our combat edge and succeed on operations against a constantly evolving adversary,” a statement from the Royal Air Force said.

“We are always looking for opportunities that innovative technologies potentially offer to improve our training delivery.”

“Working collaboratively with industry we were able to deliver this contract at pace to allow the RAF to investigate this exciting technology to help inform future decisions around fighter pilots training.”

BAE and Red 6 signed a collaborative agreement in December 2022 for future integrations of AR technologies into the Hawk.

The Hawk T2

Manufactured by BAE, the Hawk T2 jet is specifically designed to serve as an airborne training platform for the British military.

It incorporates avionics with functions similar to modern combat aircraft, a debrief system that records the detailed output of each practice session, realistic “weapon drop” and electronic warfare capability, as well as advanced radar for basic maneuver and intercept lessons.

The Hawk T2 has a fuselage length of 12.4 meters (41 feet), a wingspan of 9.1 meters (30 feet), and a maximum takeoff weight of 9,100 kilograms (20,000 pounds).

It is powered by a Rolls Royce Turbomeca Adour engine for a top speed of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) per hour and a range of 2,520 kilometers (1,566 miles).

The post BAE to Test Augmented Reality on British Hawk Trainer Jet appeared first on The Defense Post.

The induction follows completion of the system’s assembly and ground trials at the site led by 31 Squadron air base support engineers, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and Defence Equipment & Support.

The 56 Squadron test and evaluation experts will conduct additional trials to ensure the MQ-9B’s full operational capability by next year.

After the second Protector’s arrival, five more aircraft will be shipped by the end of 2024 as the service completes preparations to transition aircrew and technicians from the older MQ-9A Reaper.

Progress in MQ-9B Integration

General Atomics received an initial contract in July 2020 for three Protectors as part of London’s objective to modernize its airborne lethality assets, each tailored specifically to the British military’s requirements. The aircraft’s first flight was held in the US two months later.

In July 2021, the UK defense agency signed another contract for 13 more MQ-9Bs.

General Atomics handed over the first Protector in October 2022. This was followed by the system’s maiden flight in British territory in November 2023.

The Royal Air Force wrote in its latest press release that the first eight MQ-9Bs are scheduled to enter service in 2025, with RAF Waddington serving as the entire fleet’s home base.

General Atomics Protector

The Protector MQ-9B is a medium-altitude, long-endurance platform designed for intelligence, surveillance, targeting, and reconnaissance missions.

It measures 11.4 meters (37.5 feet) in length and has a wingspan of 24 meters (79 feet).

The aircraft is powered by a Honeywell turboprop engine for a top speed of 210 knots (389 kilometers/242 miles per hour), a service ceiling of 12,192 meters (40,000 feet), and endurance of over 30 hours.

The drone can be armed with Paveway IV laser-guided explosives, Brimstone 3 attack missiles, electro-optical/infrared cameras, temperature control solutions, detect and avoid technology, and a satellite communications payload.

The post General Atomics Delivers Second MQ-9B Protector to British Air Force appeared first on The Defense Post.

Air Commodore Blythe Crawford, who leads the service’s Air and Space Warfare Centre, said at a recent conference that “nobody” in the British Armed Forces is training for modern battlefield scenarios similar to what is seen in Ukraine.

He further claimed that even the military’s synthetic environments are focused on outdated tactics, which were suitable and effective a decade ago.

To address this, Crawford called on the military and government to take necessary data from Ukrainian frontlines and rapidly adopt it into training systems.

This, he said, would allow British soldiers to train “against the battlefield from 24 hours ago, rather than training against the battlefield from five to ten years ago.”

Crawford’s remark comes as pressure builds on the government to address vital gaps in military readiness.

‘Must be Ready for War in 3 Years’

NATO countries have significantly raised their defense spending amid concerns that Russia may attack one of them if it succeeds in Ukraine.

The UK could be targeted for being one of Kyiv’s most important military backers in the ongoing war.

Chief of the General Staff, Sir Roly Walker, has already said the British military should double its lethality and be prepared to fight a Ukraine-style war in three years.

By the end of the decade, he said he expects the armed forces to have tripled the firepower it has now.

‘Unfit for War’

Despite its recent investments in defense, concerns are mounting that the UK armed forces would not be able to survive an all-out war due to ongoing recruitment and stockpile shortages.

A defense committee hearing earlier this year revealed that the military is “consistently overstretched,” making it unfit for an armed conflict similar to the war in Ukraine.

It is also reportedly “too small” to survive a Russian invasion.

Government data released last month showed more people left the British military than signed up in 2023, further exacerbating its recruitment crisis.

The post UK Military Training Outdated by 10 Years: Senior Official appeared first on The Defense Post.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported 16,140 full-time personnel quit the armed forces in the past 12 months, while only 10,680 enlisted.

Of those who left, more than half were considered early retirement.

According to Labour Party shadow defense secretary John Healey, the numbers reflect a concerning “failure” in defense.

He pointed to poor living conditions and eroding troop morale as the main reasons behind the falling retention rate.

“It’s time for change with Labour. We will ensure Britain is better defended,” he told The Telegraph.

Military Housing Issues

According to a recent Labour analysis, more than 2,000 military homes have been branded by the UK MoD as “non-decent.”

The figures account for more than four percent of all British military houses, the highest since 2017.

Common issues include broken boilers, black mold, leaky roofs, and endless waits for repairs.

Because of these housing problems, one-third of all British military personnel are said to be living in low-quality accommodation.

Record Low

Recent data revealed that the current strength of the British military is 183,130 — a decrease of more than 7,000 or four percent from last year.

The figures remain the lowest since the Napoleonic wars in 1815.

The ongoing recruitment and retention crises have aggravated concerns that the UK military may be too small to survive a full-scale war.

The post More People Quit British Military Than Signed Up Last Year: Data appeared first on The Defense Post.

Over 40 retired and serving crew members from all three services say they have been diagnosed with cancer, including lung, testicular, and throat cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, The Times revealed.

Exhaust from the helicopters’ engines emit benzene, a carcinogenic chemical.

At least three former crew members have died of cancer, their lawyers alleged.

More complainants are expected to come forward in the coming weeks, The Times added.

Five former servicemen have received out-of-court settlements.

‘MoD Knew’

According to documents cited by the plaintiffs, the MoD was aware of the risks of Exhaust fumes in the Sea King helicopters in 1999. However, no precautionary measures were taken.

“The Ministry of Defence were aware that personnel were being exposed to high concentration levels of exhaust fumes, yet the personnel who flew the Sea King were not told. The MoD chose not to make them aware,” The Times quoted a solicitor representing the families, Louisa Donaghy, as saying.

“They didn’t provide the personal protective equipment, they didn’t modify the aircraft by moving the exhaust and they didn’t take it out of service until 2018.”

Aircraft Still Flying

Three other helicopters have been mentioned in the complaint: the Westland Wessex, the Puma, and CH-47 Chinook.

The Wessex was retired in 2003, while the other two remain operational.

“They are still knowingly poisoning aircrew, it is still going on, and they are still putting people at risk,” The Times quoted Clare Macnaughton, the widow of one of the alleged victims, as saying.

“This is another Horizon, it is another blood contamination scandal.” 

Clare’s husband Kai Macnaughton flew Puma and Chinook helicopters and died of blood cancer.

Forces Network quoted an MoD spokesperson as saying: “Service personnel and veterans who believe they have suffered ill health due to service from 6 April 2005 have the existing and long-standing right to apply for no-fault compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.”

The post British Military Pilots Sue UK Govt Over Carcinogenic Helicopter Exhaust appeared first on The Defense Post.

Members of the Operational Conversion Course 1 group — pilots, sensor operators, and mission intelligence coordinators — underwent extensive ground school training, mission simulator evaluation, and live flying drills to ensure flight readiness.

Coursework took place at the General Atomics – Aeronautical Systems Incorporated Flight Test & Training Center, with live flying exercises occurring in California via satellite link.

The Protector program will take on various roles in the RAF, focusing mainly on intelligence and surveillance in non-segregated airspace.

Initial operating capability for the first eight of 16 Protector drones is set for 2025.

The Protector RG Mk1

Designed as a premier intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability, the Protector is set to replace the air force’s MQ-9 Reaper drone.

The drone is designed to fly up to 40 hours via satellite link in all weather and safely integrate into civil airspace.

It collects real-time data with its Lynx multi-role radar. It can also perform disaster relief, search and rescue, border enforcement, and electronic warfare roles due to its increased endurance.

The post Royal Air Force Protector RG Mk1 Operators Graduate appeared first on The Defense Post.

Mission data is one metric used by an aircraft to maneuver over the battlefield. It provides situational awareness of enemy assets in the sky and suggests steps to neutralize them.

Under the 10-million-pound ($12.6 million) deal, the Italian company will provide upkeep for the Joint Electronic Warfare Operational Support Center’s Horus data generation and analysis solution at Royal Air Force Base Waddington.

Work for the agreement includes continued support and upgrades for the survivability equipment, sustaining “up-to-date” information “in response to the growing demands of modern combat missions.”

Through the project, the military aircraft will receive rapid mission data refresh to improve security in the airspace.

Leonardo will provide the maintenance for 10 years at its Cyber and Electromagnetic Activities hub in Lincoln.

“This has been a continuing collaborative effort between DE&S…and industry to harness technology and build a competitive edge for our UK Armed Forces by ensuring they have access to a mission system that can be rapidly updated to counter emerging threats,” DE&S Branch Head Kyle Thompson said.

Supporting Sixth-Gen Combat Aircraft Development

Leonardo wrote that this latest award serves as preparation for the Global Combat Air Programme to produce a unified sixth-generation fighter jet for the UK and its international allies.

Once operational in 2035, the aircraft will utilize new Integrated Communications System and Integrated Sensing and Non-Kinetic Effects devices that will both leverage modernized mission data tools to consolidate and process larger quantities of flight information.

“The ability to rapidly update mission data is a vital sovereign capability that ensures our Armed Forces are able to operate effectively in a contested and congested battlespace,” Leonardo UK Electronic Warfare SVP Iain Bancroft stated.

“By working collaboratively with DE&S and our Armed Forces end-users, we are able to maximize our combat air fleet’s survivability and help ensure operational independence.”

The post Leonardo to Maintain British Military’s Flight Mission Data Toolkits appeared first on The Defense Post.

A QinetiQ jet took control of a modified Banshee 80 drone mid-air during the trial before the drone performed autonomous missions at 350 knots (648 kilometers/402 miles per hour).

A number of digital Banshees also completed the mission simultaneously as part of a live virtual swarm.

“It [the trial] represents a significant advance in developing technologies that will allow uncrewed systems to operate seamlessly with current aircraft, providing the basis for air operations for the next twenty years,” QinetiQ Managing Director of Science & Technology lan Hart said.

Another UK first for QinetiQ!

We’ve successfully trialled the UK’s first Crewed-Uncrewed-Teaming demonstration between an #aircraft and #drone.

Find out how we made this happen: https://t.co/0EUpUFeAaU

Thanks to @DefenceHQ @dstlmod @RoyalNavy & ASWC #teamwork pic.twitter.com/Knk1gM7VTM

— QinetiQ Group (@QinetiQ) April 25, 2024

How They Communicated

The aircraft communicated with the Banshee through QinetiQ’s Airborne Command and Control for Swarm Interoperable Missions technology using the same messaging format as the standard NATO Link 16 datalink.

“Instrumental to the deployment of autonomous air platforms, the technology provides an airborne gateway which can receive and translate both long range and short range communications between drones while in-built safety systems can override the autonomy to ensure the drone stays at all times within a safe operating area,” Hampshire-based QinetiQ explained.

The trial took place in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, the Royal Navy, and the Air and Space Warfare Centre.

The post QinetiQ Demos UK’s First Crewed-Uncrewed Aircraft Teaming appeared first on The Defense Post.

Over the last 20 years, the British Army in particular has been brutally and remorselessly hollowed out. Its conventional combat arms have suffered particularly badly.

At least one senior NATO figurehead has had the courage to point out the obvious: the British Army is no longer a functional fighting force. It is a skeleton army, composed of understrength units that have had their historical identities, and therefore much of their cohesion, destroyed by repeated amalgamations over the last 30 years.

Capability Gaps

Attempts to paper over this problem have largely consisted of beefing up special forces units. Even this, however, has been done on the cheap.

Instead of raising completely new formations, the Ministry of Defence took four existing infantry battalions, unceremoniously wiped them of their 400-year-old identities and battle honors, and called them the Ranger Regiment in imitation of the US Army.

A similar fate befell the historic London Regiment, which was reshaped into the London Guards to act as a reserve depot for the four Guards regiments.

Even more egregious is the failure to replace equipment as it wears out or to keep stockpiles of old equipment in storage. The British Army now faces grievous capability gaps in artillery, air defense, armor, and conventional infantry — in short, everything an army needs to actually fight.

Universal vs. Selective Conscription

Now, finally, British policymakers are waking up to the probability that this weak, poorly balanced army might have to fight a war similar to those of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. Its inability to do so leaves British influence curtailed, rendering the UK vulnerable to being swept up by decisions made in other countries.

To avoid this, the British Army will have to rapidly expand within the next few years. Whatever headlines might claim, universal conscription can safely be ruled out. Senior British officers oppose it, and those facing call-up would bitterly resist it.

Instead, certain figures have suggested a system modeled on Scandinavian “selective conscription,” whereby only a picked minority of conscripts are actually inducted.

The danger here is that Britain has used a selective conscription system before, and it proved highly controversial.

From 1757 until 1831, every British county was required to choose by ballot a certain number of men who would serve for five years in the Militia. Those who did not wish to serve could provide a substitute or pay a fine.

Like selective conscription today, Militia service had many advantages, both for those who took part and for the British Army. It offered the opportunity for travel, a degree of social prestige, and an easier route into the regular army for those who were inclined. From 1802 to 1815, 110,000 militiamen and officers transferred to the regular service.

British Generations

Despite this, militia service remained stubbornly unpopular for much the same reason that selective conscription would be unpopular in modern Britain. The burden of the ballot fell disproportionately upon the rural poor and the working class, who understandably feared being dragged into service overseas.

This fear has a deep resonance with British youth today, whose trust in the government’s judgment and integrity has been destroyed by the legacy of Iraq, the cost of living crisis, and the mismanagement of COVID-19.

Like the ballot before it, even merely selective conscription would also risk exacerbating economic and intergenerational tensions within British society. The primary age groups that would face conscription are late Millennials, Generation Z, and the earliest age brackets of Generation Alpha.

All three generations face a grim economic future, with low spending power, poor job security, limited opportunities to emigrate, and looming environmental disaster.

Baby Boomers, by contrast, enjoyed the benefits of economic ties with Europe, free university tuition, and a large generational bloc that gives them immense electoral power. Baby Boomers were far too young to be conscripted when National Service ended in 1960 and are far too old to be conscripted now, yet they are the generation that most support its return.

For young Britons, the author included, the prospect of being sent off to fight a war on behalf of a society that favors rich pensioners is not an inviting one.

Wider Reforms

If this is to be avoided, any reintroduction of conscription must be accompanied by wider reforms aimed at redressing the imbalances within British society.

British youth must be assured that, when their service ends, they will come home to a good job, decent accommodation, and a rebuilt social support network. This is not too much to ask for in exchange for facing the horrors of warfare.

Failure to do so risks a repeat of the situation facing Britain after 1815, when the country was flooded by unemployed veterans who resented their mistreatment at the hands of Industrialization. The next 20 years were characterized by riots, political instability, and the prospect of violent revolution.

It is the duty of British policymakers to ensure that, however the army is rebuilt, this does not happen again.

William Morris is a graduate of the History Department at Anglia Ruskin University and of the War Studies Department at King’s College London.

His primary sphere of research is British home defense and national readiness.

His Bachelor’s dissertation addressed the British public image of defense during the Napoleonic Wars, while his Master’s Dissertation focused on British anti-invasion capabilities in 1940.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Defense Post.

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The post No, Conscription Will Not Fix Britain’s Army Crisis appeared first on The Defense Post.