Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what capability gap would be created for the Royal Air Force in the event that the order for five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft is reduced to three.

None. The E-7 Wedgetail is a step change in capability and reliability and meets the urgent need for an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) capability as a critical enabler to UK military capability.

The transition from Sentry to E-7 Wedgetail will not result in any reduction in current capability.