New Wedgetail surveillance fleet to be based at RAF Lossiemouth

[Supra]

Thanks for the info'. It just wasn't what I expected to see as 'Wedgetail 01', although the picture below (Courtesy of Planespotters.net) does show an upper fuselage rail antenna & a new radar well forward of the usual location with a new design fairing? Also NOT a fan of the new refueling probe/flag-mast over the cockpit!!
https://www.planespotters.net/photo/989 ... -77zwl-bbj

[plmc135]

Wrong plane I am afraid, yesterday's arrival actually looks like the following:-

https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/f ... me-arrived

[pg1610]

It actually looks like this shot on arrival yesterday

https://www.flickr.com/photos/deltamans ... 810947446/

see the current photgraphy in the civil aviation link at top of page for more info from the OP

[Mike]

It actually looks like this shot on arrival yesterday

https://www.flickr.com/photos/deltamans ... 810947446/

see the current photography in the civil aviation link at top of page for more info from the OP

That's the same photo that's at the bottom of the Scramble article (and the same shot that's on our sister site 'Civilian Aviation).

[100arw]

Such a shame when experts can't even agree what it looks like :-)

[Nighthawke]

@100arw - you missed the quotes around experts

[ColintheCaterpillar]

Such a shame when experts can't even agree what it looks like :-)

Lol. Not like a Wedgetail, yet!

After all, it’s got to be thoroughly checked for Chinese spy equipment hidden in the metalwork first.

[Supra]

Thanks for the info'. It just wasn't what I expected to see as 'Wedgetail 01', although the picture below (Courtesy of Planespotters.net) does show an upper fuselage rail antenna & a new radar well forward of the usual location with a new design fairing? Also NOT a fan of the new refueling probe/flag-mast over the cockpit!!
https://www.planespotters.net/photo/989 ... -77zwl-bbj

Thanks for all the factual advice on the correct airframe, but the picture I linked looks more like a Wedgetail due to the apparent 'fit-out' ? than the bare scheme airliner that actually arrived. Please allow due leeway for an injection of tongue-in-cheek humour?

[ColintheCaterpillar]

Thanks for the info'. It just wasn't what I expected to see as 'Wedgetail 01', although the picture below (Courtesy of Planespotters.net) does show an upper fuselage rail antenna & a new radar well forward of the usual location with a new design fairing? Also NOT a fan of the new refueling probe/flag-mast over the cockpit!!
https://www.planespotters.net/photo/989 ... -77zwl-bbj

Thanks for all the factual advice on the correct airframe, but the picture I linked looks more like a Wedgetail due to the apparent 'fit-out' ? than the bare scheme airliner that actually arrived. Please allow due leeway for an injection of tongue-in-cheek humour?

GSOH optional on aviation forums.

[filmman]

Advice please. Are the 737 airframes being used for the Wedgetails and the P8s the same size/fuel capacity. Can a longer, larger fuel capacity fuselage be used. As the emphasis is moving north of the UK, greater internal fuel range would increase operational flexibility.
Meanwhile we await the investigation report on the latest 727 crash.
Filmman

[ArabJazzie]

Advice please. Are the 737 airframes being used for the Wedgetails and the P8s the same size/fuel capacity. Can a longer, larger fuel capacity fuselage be used. As the emphasis is moving north of the UK, greater internal fuel range would increase operational flexibility.
Meanwhile we await the investigation report on the latest 727 crash.
Filmman

P-8 is a 737-800 standard airframe, the E-7 is a shorter 737-700 standard airframe. Never looked into the fuel capacities, but i expect baggage capacity has been turned over to extra fuel and equipment, depending on electronics fit. I would also expect flight profiles will be different enough to say the E-7 will be up there slightly longer than the P-8.

[seven]

Also the '727' crash was an airframe from an earlier generation. Unlikely to effect E-7's or most other 737's for that matter

7

[Agent K]

Advice please. Are the 737 airframes being used for the Wedgetails and the P8s the same size/fuel capacity. Can a longer, larger fuel capacity fuselage be used. As the emphasis is moving north of the UK, greater internal fuel range would increase operational flexibility.
Meanwhile we await the investigation report on the latest 727 crash.
Filmman

Given that a lot of the day-to-day sorties are over the North Sea, or in the North anyway I'm not so sure there is much of a difference in distance to and thus fuel burn to the area of operations.

[plmc135]

Advice please. Are the 737 airframes being used for the Wedgetails and the P8s the same size/fuel capacity. Can a longer, larger fuel capacity fuselage be used. As the emphasis is moving north of the UK, greater internal fuel range would increase operational flexibility.
Meanwhile we await the investigation report on the latest 727 crash.
Filmman

P-8 is a 737-800 standard airframe, the E-7 is a shorter 737-700 standard airframe. Never looked into the fuel capacities, but i expect baggage capacity has been turned over to extra fuel and equipment, depending on electronics fit. I would also expect flight profiles will be different enough to say the E-7 will be up there slightly longer than the P-8.

I am afraid the P-8 is far from being a standard 737-800 airframe. It utilises a strengthened fuselage plus the wings from a 737-900. Also unlike the 737-8/900 it does not have scimitar wing tips but raked ones like the 767-400.

Reference the E-7, BBJ's were usually fitted with additional fuel tanks in the luggage bays as part of their fit out, whether they will still be fitted when delivered to BHX is unknown.

[Agent K]

Advice please. Are the 737 airframes being used for the Wedgetails and the P8s the same size/fuel capacity. Can a longer, larger fuel capacity fuselage be used. As the emphasis is moving north of the UK, greater internal fuel range would increase operational flexibility.
Meanwhile we await the investigation report on the latest 727 crash.
Filmman

Not sure why we're waiting for the investigation into the latest "727" crash (assume you mean 737?), the -500 was the first of the newer generation (-3/4/500) that used the CFM-56 turbofans (as opposed to the JT8) and a generation before the next gen used as a basis for the P8 and E7, which are not MAX aircraft. So there's not a huge amount of relevance there, given that irrespective of the known accidents it is a pretty safe and mature aircraft and many thousands have operated safely for many years.

[ArabJazzie]

Advice please. Are the 737 airframes being used for the Wedgetails and the P8s the same size/fuel capacity. Can a longer, larger fuel capacity fuselage be used. As the emphasis is moving north of the UK, greater internal fuel range would increase operational flexibility.
Meanwhile we await the investigation report on the latest 727 crash.
Filmman

P-8 is a 737-800 standard airframe, the E-7 is a shorter 737-700 standard airframe. Never looked into the fuel capacities, but i expect baggage capacity has been turned over to extra fuel and equipment, depending on electronics fit. I would also expect flight profiles will be different enough to say the E-7 will be up there slightly longer than the P-8.

I am afraid the P-8 is far from being a standard 737-800 airframe. It utilises a strengthened fuselage plus the wings from a 737-900. Also unlike the 737-8/900 it does not have scimitar wing tips but raked ones like the 767-400.

Reference the E-7, BBJ's were usually fitted with additional fuel tanks in the luggage bays as part of their fit out, whether they will still be fitted when delivered to BHX is unknown.

So sorry for answering within the context of the initial question, fuselage size and fuel capacity, as i understood that all 800s start out in the same jigs and end up a similar length!

[roger4]

P-8 is a 737-800 standard airframe, the E-7 is a shorter 737-700 standard airframe. Never looked into the fuel capacities, but i expect baggage capacity has been turned over to extra fuel and equipment, depending on electronics fit. I would also expect flight profiles will be different enough to say the E-7 will be up there slightly longer than the P-8.

I am afraid the P-8 is far from being a standard 737-800 airframe. It utilises a strengthened fuselage plus the wings from a 737-900. Also unlike the 737-8/900 it does not have scimitar wing tips but raked ones like the 767-400.

Reference the E-7, BBJ's were usually fitted with additional fuel tanks in the luggage bays as part of their fit out, whether they will still be fitted when delivered to BHX is unknown.

So sorry for answering within the context of the initial question, fuselage size and fuel capacity, as i understood that all 800s start out in the same jigs and end up a similar length!

And the E-7 Wedgetail isn't a straight B737NG-700 airframe either! The Wedgetail uses the shorter fuselage of the 700, but the wings and strengthened undercarriage of of the -800, as do the BBJ and the C-40.

As far as I can gather, the conversion to a Wedgetail involves the replacement of fuselage section 46 behind the wings with a stronger section to take the weight and aerodynamic stresses of the radar array - the fuselage ends up the same length as before. However the Wedgetail conversion adds 9 tonnes to the empty weight. Hence the choice of basing it on a -700 fuselage, rather than a -800, is almost certainly to keep all up weight under control. There might be aerodynamic advantage as well from the shorter fuselage and hence more effective tail surfaces.

Note that all of the other Wedgetails (Oz, Turkish and Korean) were new built, so our conversions from second-hand BBJs are a first.

And for the avoidance of doubt, the P-8 is exactly the same length as a 737NG-800 (39.47m), but the P-8 fuselages are special builds with strengthened rear fuselages to accommodate the bomb/torpedo bay. They also have modified wings to carry the weapons pylons.

[ColintheCaterpillar]

Note that all of the other Wedgetails (Oz, Turkish and Korean) were new built, so our conversions from second-hand BBJs are a first.

For clarity it is worth noting that AFAIK all the other Wedgetails in service are conversions of a base 737 airframe be it new or otherwise (normally done “in country”); there’s no brand new Wedgetail production line as such as there is for P-8.

[Freeman Lowell]

[And the E-7 Wedgetail isn't a straight B737NG-700 airframe either! The Wedgetail uses the shorter fuselage of the 700, but the wings and strengthened undercarriage of of the -800, as do the BBJ and the C-40.

Note that all of the other Wedgetails (Oz, Turkish and Korean) were new built, so our conversions from second-hand BBJs are a first.

...and the first with winglets, unless that will be another modification to remove them and avoid them 'photo bombing' the radar image .
Freeman

[ColintheCaterpillar]

[And the E-7 Wedgetail isn't a straight B737NG-700 airframe either! The Wedgetail uses the shorter fuselage of the 700, but the wings and strengthened undercarriage of of the -800, as do the BBJ and the C-40.

Note that all of the other Wedgetails (Oz, Turkish and Korean) were new built, so our conversions from second-hand BBJs are a first.

...and the first with winglets, unless that will be another modification to remove them and avoid them 'photo bombing' the radar image .
Freeman

Ha!