Photo: Two RAAF E-7A Wedgetail aircraft stand ready on the flight line during Exercise Red Flag Alaska, held in the U.S. state in 2014. RAAF APRIL 2016 | 29 Technical integration challenges slowed the aircraft’s development, but as technology improved in the intervening years, the program’s team added capabilities not included in Australia’s original request. An example of this is Internet protocol chat, which increasingly is used for communication between U.S. military and allied aircraft. “In the end, we closed all the problem reports in development and we delivered what we said we would deliver,” said Susan Tiffin, who served as the program’s chief engineer between 2008 and 2012. “I’m just tickled that it’s working so well.” With its distinctive Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array, or MESA, radar extending up from the modified 737-700 fuselage, the Wedgetail has consoles for 10 mission operators to work and collaborate simultaneously. Its powerful radar, developed by Northrop Grumman, and other sophisticated technology allow it to provide air control and battle-space management from the sky. For example, it can gather tactical information from numerous sources at once, allowing control console operators to analyze that information and then distribute it to other aircraft and surface-based forces, according to the Australian Defence Force. While Australia has taken delivery of the six Wedgetails it ordered, Boeing’s work with the RAAF is far from finished. Ringoen said representatives of the RAAF, the Wedgetail program office, Boeing Defence Australia and subcontractors all share the same building at RAAF Base Williamtown near Newcastle in New South Wales. That’s where the Wedgetail fleet, operated by the air force’s No. 2 Squadron, is based. “Every day I walk in, I see two, three or four of our airplanes parked there. The customers, the maintainers, the aircraft and the program people are all in one place,” Ringoen said. “Our whole success here is based on the relationship between Boeing and the RAAF. ... Keeping that bond strong remains a priority as new faces join the program and longtime
Frontiers April 2016 Issue
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