The E-7 is currently operated by air forces around the globe , with the U . S . Air Force becoming the latest customer to sign up for the E-7A aircraft . Earlier this year , Australia , the United Kingdom and the U . S . signed a tri-lateral agreement to work together in furthering E-7 capability development and interoperability , operations and sustainment , as well as training and testing .
After a 10-year stint supporting the program ’ s Datalink Infrastructure ( DLI ) – the secure communications connectivity network that provides battlespace awareness to joint forces – Tran left to work for a tech company and then a medical company in the Puget Sound region . But he never got over his calling to support the nation ’ s armed services .
Customized Excellence From Nose To Tail
Tran returned to Boeing to support the P-8 program in 2019 before coming back to E-7 and DLI work two years later . One of Tran ’ s E-7 teammates is a familiar face . His older brother Vinh , one of the three siblings who immigrated to the United States with Son and his mother , has worked as a Defense , Space & Security software engineer for 26 years .
The Tran brothers both support the E-7A aircraft that will be delivered to the U . S . Air Force . The airframes on order will be built on the 737 Next Generation production line in Renton , Washington , and then will be converted to combat-ready E-7s in nearby Tukwila , Washington .
During his first stint as an E-7 software engineer , Son Tran vividly remembers boarding an Australian E-7 – nicknamed “ Wedgetail ” by the Royal Australian Air Force – and witnessing the software he coded in action as the aircraft took off from Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California .
“ I was sitting in the cockpit of an E-7 and we were flying side-by-side with an F / A-18 ,” he recounted . “ I could see the ( F / A-18 ) pilot giving us the thumbs up . It was amazing .”
P-8 : A Proven , Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft
At the same facility where the military modification of the first two E-7A aircraft for the U . S . Air Force will take place , the P-8A Poseidon ’ s mission systems are installed . The P-8 is a maritime surveillance and patrol aircraft flown by six allied countries around the globe , including the U . S . Navy .
DECEMBER 2023 | JANUARY 2024 ISSUE NO . 36 19 www . fuchs . com / us