Worried about China's Airborne Early Warning 3000, the U.S. Congress forced through E-7 funding, and the U.S. Defense Secretary was furious!

Recently, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee included $1.4 billion for the Navy's F/A-XX fighter jet program in the latest draft of the 2026 fiscal year defense spending bill, while locking in $6.47 billion in funding for the Air Force's E-7 "Wedgetail" airborne early warning aircraft.

This move directly challenged Defense Secretary Hegseth's previous decision. Just a month ago, Hegseth had publicly claimed that the E-7 was "a platform that is difficult to survive on the modern battlefield," and labeled it a "gilded project" due to "delivery delays, high costs, and high complexity," and planned to cancel it entirely.

The frustration of Congress erupted during the hearing. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska directly questioned the core issue: "We had hoped the E-7 could replace the aging E-3 'Sentry' in the northern airspace, but now the Pentagon wants to cut this project. Our early warning capabilities are already being held together with tape, and without the E-7, we will be completely unable to hold on."

China's Airborne Early Warning 3000 undoubtedly leads the U.S. military by more than one generation in technology, which has greatly worried the U.S. Congress. This airborne early warning aircraft, based on the Y-20B large transport aircraft platform, has performance parameters that have kept U.S. military leaders awake at night. The detection range of the Airborne Early Warning-3000 for fighter jets at 10,000 meters altitude reaches 680 kilometers, exceeding the 550 kilometers of the current U.S. E-3 airborne early warning aircraft by 23%, even surpassing the theoretical value of 600 kilometers of the U.S.-hoped-for E-7A.

More worrying is its anti-stealth capability: the detection range for stealth targets is reported to have broken through 360 kilometers, combined with the PL-17 long-range air-to-air missile, it is sufficient to pose a lethal threat to the U.S. strategic bombers B-2 and B-21 from a safe distance.

The E-7 project, which was forcibly funded by Congress, is itself stuck in a cost quagmire. The procurement price per aircraft has soared to $1.3 billion, three times the price of the same model purchased by the UK, and has increased nearly sevenfold compared to the unit price of $190 million when South Korea purchased it in 2006.

In early July, a letter signed by 13 retired four-star generals was sent directly to Congress, including six former Air Force Chiefs of Staff and seven theater commanders. These veteran generals, who have spent their entire careers in the military, warned in almost pitiful tones: "An air force without an airborne early warning aircraft is like a body without a brain, which is equivalent to handing over the air superiority of the Pacific to others."

Hegseth angrily responded: "The E-7 project has delivery delays, high costs, and high complexity—it is more like a false 'gilded project.' In comparison, I think turning to space reconnaissance is more cost-effective."

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839221198252044/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.