Originally Posted by
Davef68
Slightly different airframe (700 v 800) and iirc the 700ER isn't in series production at the moment (albeit they did do one for the RAF) - the timescale for the RAF from order to delivery of the first is 4 years - the conversion from 737 to E-7 takes about 2 years, so if they are going for anew build test airframe, they'll have to wait for the production slot too.
The Wedgetail and P8 are built on a dedicated production line in Renton - separate from the MAX production lines (originally done for ITAR purposes). So final production slots are not a concern. There are long lead items (up to two years for some) and since there are meaningful airframe differences between the NG and the MAX that will tend to dictate the production schedule. The fuselage is built in Wichita and shipped to Renton as a largely finished assembly - while there are naturally differences between the -700 and -800 fuselage, they are built on the same tooling. So the fact that the -700 isn't currently in production is not a significant issue.
The bid deal with an AWACS type airplane is the electronics system integration - not just getting all the systems to work seamlessly together - preventing ElectroMagnetic Interference (EMI) between systems is a
big challenge.