Wedgetail: Australia’s eagle-eyed Sentinel

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Release of Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) Strategic Insight No. 29/2006

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has today released a new ASPI Strategic Insight entitled Wedgetail: Australia’s eagle-eyed Sentinel by Dr Carlo Kopp, defence analyst, consulting engineer, and research fellow in regional military strategy at the Monash Asia Institute, in Melbourne. 

Recent reports of project delays in the Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) program have brought this important Defence project yet again into the media spotlight. Unfortunately, the Wedgetail has been the subject of ongoing controversy since 2000, yet it is absolutely critical to the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) future combat capability. 

This ASPI Strategic Insight explains why the Wedgetail is so important to the Australian Defence Force (ADF), and provides the reader with some understanding of this complex program. 

‘Wedgetail is a vital capability for the ADF, providing the only effective means of air defence surveillance and control across Australia’s northern geography and maritime approaches. With the proliferation of advanced Russian fighters, smart weapons, and cruise missiles across Asia, the Wedgetail is the only credible AEW&C system available which can deal with the developing strategic environment’, says Dr Kopp. 

‘Other than covering basic strategic imperatives in national air defence, the Wedgetail offers a valuable expeditionary capability to support not only coalition military campaigns, but also civil emergency, humanitarian and disaster relief contingencies abroad and in Australia, as well as border surveillance and enforcement of national sovereignty.’

‘A strong strategic argument can be made for the acquisition of additional Wedgetail aircraft. A fleet of eight or nine would allow for a much more comprehensive coverage of Australia’s strategic approaches and northern landmass.’

‘No matter what choices Australia makes for its future fighter fleets, aerial refueling fleets and other key capabilities, the Wedgetail AEW&C system is a pivotal capability at the core of the RAAF’s fleet’, states Dr Kopp.