The Office of Management and Budget would have Congress shift $1.5 billion from Navy and Air Force procurement accounts to fund the E-7A Wedgetail’s prototyping effort, according to a list of fiscal year 2027 budget request amendments sent to Capitol Hill.

According to the document released publicly today, the program would receive $650.5 million from the Navy's aircraft procurement account and $898.5 million from the Air Force's other procurement account.

The amendments are “necessary to fund a [Defense Department] priority requirement to deliver two E-7 Wedgetail prototype aircraft and continue Engineering Manufacturing and Development activities for a program of record,” the document states.

House and Senate authorizers and House appropriators have all supported the funding for Wedgetail.

The amendments, however, reflect an about-face from the Pentagon over last year.

The Air Force sought to cancel the effort in FY-26, saying the airborne moving target indication capabilities could be space-based. Congress prevented the service from ending the prototyping program and ordered it to create a plan to transition to the EMD phase.

The FY-27 budget request didn’t include any funding for Wedgetail, but Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers during budget hearings that an amendment would be coming as the budget now had more “flexibility.”

Wedgetail is set to replace the decades-old E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System. One of the remaining E-3s, which are becoming increasingly difficult to sustain, was destroyed during the war with Iran this spring.