America's Air Force E-7A AEW&C aircraft procurement project of 26 aircraft has completely fallen through? The Pentagon is preparing to cancel the AEW&C aircraft order, and the competition with China's AEW&C aircraft is becoming increasingly behind, unable to stop the PLA's new ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles in wartime, and has given up completely?
01. The U.S. is preparing to cancel the order for 26 AEW&C aircraft, which are two generations behind China's AEW&C aircraft.
According to US media reports, the Trump administration is conducting a thorough review of the Pentagon's budget application for fiscal year 2026, and may cancel the US military's order for 26 E-7A AEW&C aircraft.
In fact, the US Air Force had planned to procure the large E-7A AEW&C aircraft to replace the E-3 AEW&C aircraft that have been in service for decades. The current E-3 AEW&C aircraft in the USAF are technologically outdated. The E-7A AEW&C aircraft was originally developed based on the Boeing 737-700 passenger aircraft, and compared to the E-3 AEW&C aircraft, after decades, it finally equipped a basic large array active phased array radar, and was regarded by the US Air Force as an important support for the next-generation airborne command and control platform.
However, despite the US military budget repeatedly breaking records, even with the current defense budget of the US military, the Trump administration expressed that there was no extra capacity to support the Air Force's E-7 project. The US media reported that the Trump administration and the Pentagon were concerned about the high cost of the E-7 project and believed that satellite systems could partially replace the functions of the E-7 and reduce dependence on this expensive airborne platform.
After all, the development cost of just two E-7 prototype aircraft has already reached $2.56 billion. The US military clearly required further performance enhancements based on the existing foundation of Australia and the UK (both militaries have already equipped E-7 AEW&C aircraft), causing the cost to rise further, leaving the Pentagon with no choice but to endure it no longer.
What made the US military even more unacceptable was that, since the end of the Cold War, the PLA's AEW&C technology has made remarkable progress, resulting in the US military's AEW&C equipment updates lagging far behind the PLA, and the performance being two generations behind. The current E-3 AEW&C aircraft in the US Air Force are old machines used for decades, and the radar technology is similarly outdated and not active phased array. In contrast, the PLA's latest KJ-500 AEW&C aircraft lead the E-3 AEW&C aircraft by two generations in technology, using gallium nitride active phased array radars, with comprehensive situational awareness surpassing the E-3.
For the US Air Force, the situation is not only that the E-3 AEW&C aircraft are outdated, but even the most advanced E-7 uses basic active phased array radar, which still falls short compared to China's gallium nitride active phased array. Compared to traditional active phased array radars used by the US military, gallium nitride technology radars not only have longer detection ranges, stronger anti-jamming capabilities, higher precision and resolution, but also consume less energy and have stronger reliability.
Furthermore, the upcoming JZY-600 carrier-based AEW&C aircraft and the JZY-3000 strategic AEW&C aircraft (developed based on the Y-20) of the PLA will adopt second-generation gallium nitride active phased array radars. In terms of radar detection range, anti-jamming performance, data fusion capability, and intelligence distribution speed, they lead the current US AEW&C aircraft by two generations. The US Air Force has already been comprehensively left behind in AEW&C aircraft technology by the PLA.
02. New long-range air-to-air missiles pose a huge threat to the survivability of US AEW&C aircraft in wartime.
At the same time, the significant breakthroughs achieved by the PLA in the field of long-range air-to-air missile technology have made the survivability issue of US AEW&C aircraft even more serious. The latest PL-17 missile developed by the PLA has a range exceeding 400-500 kilometers, further enhancing its range and penetration capability compared to the already operational PL-15 missile (with a range of 200-300 kilometers). This ultra-long-range air-to-air missile has a long range and extremely high flight speed (4-6 Mach), allowing it to precisely destroy large US AEW&C aircraft, tankers, and other key targets at beyond visual range distances.
The US media stated that compared to the PL-15 missile, which already poses a significant threat to US AEW&C aircraft, the PL-17's threat level has risen another notch, changing the rules of future air combat. The US military has always relied on AEW&C aircraft for comprehensive battlefield monitoring, providing strategic early warning and tactical command. Especially under the increasingly important context of system warfare, AEW&C aircraft in wartime are indispensable situational awareness platforms. However, in the face of the PL-17, the AEW&C aircraft will lose their original "safe" distance advantage. What was once relatively safe command platforms on the battlefield have now become potential primary attack targets.
The US military has not effectively developed corresponding defensive means against this new threat of ultra-long-range missiles in recent years. The fighter escort circle of the US military is limited. Once the PL-17 ultra-long-range attack mode is activated, the AEW&C aircraft will be exposed to the great risk of beyond visual range attacks. Traditional US escort tactics will also be difficult to effectively counter, as the range of the PLA's ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles is too far. Western air-to-air missiles commonly equipped by the US such as AIM-120D and Meteor air-to-air missiles have a range of only within 160 kilometers, while the PLA's air-to-air missiles can attack aerial targets over 500 kilometers away, completely transforming the game rules of beyond visual range air combat.
03. Has the US military given up? Can't defend against them, so why buy them?
Therefore, some experts analyzed whether the US military is "giving up completely" in the face of the PLA. Since the AEW&C aircraft are so far behind China and cannot counter the PLA's new ultra-long-range air defense missiles, it might as well give up completely, stop purchasing new large-platform AEW&C aircraft, continue patching up the E-3s, and strengthen reliance on satellite reconnaissance systems and drone swarms to maintain situational awareness.
In fact, as before, the main reason why the US Air Force finds it difficult to procure AEW&C aircraft is due to "lack of funds." Of course, many netizens may not agree with this view, as it does indeed seem absurd that the US military lacks money. However, for the US military, this is indeed the case, despite the fact that the US military budget ranks first in the world and is about to reach an unprecedented trillion-dollar military expenditure standard.
But at the current rate of US military spending, a trillion dollars is still "not enough" for the US military. Democratic media criticized the influence of Trump and the US military-industrial complex, with procurement costs of equipment rising year by year. Just one new intercontinental ballistic missile Sentinel project has overrun by $29.7 billion and ultimately failed. Which project doesn't go over budget?
The prices of US military weapons are becoming increasingly outrageous. A decade ago, the price of Tomahawk missiles has now increased tenfold, with unit prices exceeding $20 million. Spending like water, at this rate of spending, a trillion-dollar military budget is simply not enough for a wealthy and powerful military like the US. After all, the military-industrial complex is essentially part of the Trump group or an important backer of the Republican Party, so the Trump administration naturally won't touch it.
What's even more ridiculous is that the Trump administration plans to cut the US Air Force's AEW&C aircraft to save "budget," which is not considered a major event within the US military. They even plan to unprecedentedly cut 22% of the four-star generals in the US military, claiming it is intended to "save costs" for the US military.
However, this move is far more serious than canceling the procurement plan for AEW&C aircraft. It fundamentally shakes the foundation of the senior command system of the US military. Moreover, cutting around ten four-star generals in the US military each year would only save the US military $3 million in military expenditures, equivalent to the cost of purchasing 34 bags of "high-end" screws for the US Air Force. It's quite absurd.
Therefore, it is not hard to see from the series of absurd measures taken by the Trump administration that its leadership lacks military command and technical knowledge. It's purely an amateur operation, yet they feel quite good about themselves. Regarding the "cure" for the US military's budget overspending, the Trump administration's approach is "cutting off the head when having a headache, cutting off the foot when having a foot pain," which is quite "appropriate."
Some content sources in the article: 1. "For the First Time in 25 Years," Trump Meets with Syria's Transitional President, Hangzhou Daily
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7504346177401176576/
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