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E-2D Hawkeye: The Navy’s New AWACS

Dec 05, 2018 04:56 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff

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FLA flight testing

December 4/18: Northrop Grumman is receiving more money to increase the operational range of four US Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. The awarded contract modification is valued at $21 million and allows for the installation of aerial refueling retrofit kits on four E-2Ds. The retrofit kits comprise a probe and associated piping, electrical and lighting upgrades, and long endurance seats that will enhance field of view in the cockpit and reduce fatigue over longer missions. The aerial refuelling capability effectively doubles the time the Hawkeye can stay in the air conducting its mission. The upgraded version of the Advanced Hawkeye flew for the first time in December 2016. Work will be performed at Northrop’s factory in St. Augustine, Florida and is expected to be completed in June 2020.

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Northrop Grumman’s E-2C Hawkeye is a carrier-capable “mini-AWACS” aircraft, designed to give long-range warning of incoming aerial threats. Secondary roles include strike command and control, land and maritime surveillance, search and rescue, communications relay, and even civil air traffic control during emergencies. E-2C Hawkeyes began replacing previous Hawkeye versions in 1973. They fly from USN and French carriers, from land bases in the militaries of Egypt, Japan, Mexico, and Taiwan; and in a drug interdiction role for the US Naval Reserve. Over 200 Hawkeyes have been produced.

The $17.5 billion E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program aims to build 75 new aircraft with significant radar, engine, and electronics upgrades in order to deal with a world of stealthier cruise missiles, saturation attacks, and a growing need for ground surveillance as well as aerial scans. It looks a lot like the last generation E-2C Hawkeye 2000 upgrade on the outside – but inside, and even outside to some extent, it’s a whole new aircraft.