Boeing gets $2.5 billion Air Force contract for new airborne warning and control aircraft

Boeing and the Air Force announced Friday that they reached an agreement on the pricing for a $2.56 billion contract to develop two rapid prototype E-7A Wedgetail aircraft. The E-7A Wedgetail is an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft that's based on the Boeing 737, but it features advanced electronics and a fixed radar antenna mounted on top of the fuselage that gives the aircraft a distinctive appearance. Wedgetail is the Air Force's planned replacement for the aging fleet of E-3 Sentry air ...