Northrop Grumman's E-2 Hawkeye has a 40-year history - and a 40-year future thanks to the development of the new E-2D Advanced version.
Northrop Grumman last month started work on Ship One of what will be a 73-aircraft order for the US Navy (USN). The E-2D is loaded with state-of-the-art software and equipment that reflects the changing role of the aircraft away from its original mission of carrier-borne airborne early warning (AEW), which the Hawkeye has carried out since 1964. "Battlefield management command and control is the future for the Hawkeye," says Capt Stephen Rorke, E-2 programme officer for the USN. The aircraft is called upon to perform a number of additional emergency roles - maritime search, air traffic control, strike control and SAR control, which means it has had to add significant air-to-ground capability.
The rapid development of software has prompted Northrop Grumman to move towards open software architecture in line with USN's Sea Power 21 'road map' for network-centric warfare. This will allow faster software upgrades and allow the E-2 fleet to communicate with other platforms such as the Boeing E-3 AWACS and Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk UAV.
Deliveries of the E-2D will start in 2010; in the meantime deliveries of the current E-2C Hawkeye 2000 are ongoing. These aircraft are expected to remain in service until at least 2020, and are being upgraded to incorporate some E-2D features.
Source: Flight Daily News
