Wedgetail

Confidence, but mountains still to scale

Since Australian Aviation last reported on the troubled Wedgetail AEW&C project in August last year, delivery of the first two Boeing 737-700IGW-based aircraft to the RAAF in an interim configuration has been delayed by a further four months from July to November this year, while the first fully capable ‘all up rounds’ now won’t be delivered until the second quarter of 2010. But, despite this further schedule slip, unresolved and ongoing technical issues, a major program review due in mid 2009, and a raft of negative press in recent times, resilient project head Air Vice Marshal Chris Deeble’s enthusiasm for the potential of the system hasn’t been dulled.

“I wouldn’t want to underestimate that we’ve got risk as we move forward – we’re still a very technically challenging program,” AVM Deeble told us in late February. “But we’ve had some insight into the radar – the performance of the radar is now stable, and we’re gaining a lot of insight into how this system can be utilised. I’m confident that we’ll still get there.”