Northrop Grumman has begun assembly work on the first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye command and control aircraft bound for the French navy.
The military airframer announced the milestone on 10 December at its facility in St. Augustine, Florida. Paris is on contract to acquire three of the turboprops, which will replace France’s current fleet of ageing Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye 2000 aircraft.
Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium indicates the French navy operates three E-2Cs, which entered service more than 25 years ago in 1998, according to Northrop.
“We are proud to have supported the French navy with the Hawkeye 2000, and we look forward to providing a generational leap in decision dominance with the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye,” says Janice Zilch, Northrop’s vice-president of multi-domain command and control programmes.
Northrop says France’s first E-2D is scheduled for delivery in 2027. The Advanced Hawkeye offers improved sensors and communications and the new ability to conduct air-to-air refuelling via a fixed probe mounted above the cockpit.
The current fleet of E-2Cs provide air defence and airborne battle management support to the Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group – the French navy’s sole aircraft carrier.
France is the only country other than the USA that operates E-2Cs from such a carrier, according to Northrop. Japan and Egypt also operate E-2 variants, according to Cirium data.
Northrop notes its E-2D production line boasts a “100% on-time delivery history”.
