NATO to replace AWACS surveillance jets with modified Boeing 737

NATO will replace its ageing fleet of AWACS surveillance planes, in service since the Cold War in the 1980s, with a militarised version of the Boeing 737 commercial jet, the alliance said on Wednesday.

"Production of the six new Boeing's E-7A Wedgetail aircraft is set to begin in the coming years, with the first aircraft expected to be ready for operational duty by 2031," it said

The deal is likely to be worth several billion euros but the alliance did not offer any details on the cost of the new jets.