Talks are under way between Northrop Grumman and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) over the future of the service’s ageing Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) fleet.
The RSAF operates four E-2Cs: “We will anticipate that they will want to keep the aircraft flying for at least the next five years. How do we get from here to there because they have Group 0 aircraft that are rapidly facing obsolescence,” said John Beaulieu, Northrop’s US Navy foreign military sales new business manager at the show yesterday.
Beaulieu was meeting RSAF officials on the subject yesterday.
In a briefing, Tom Trudell, Northrop Grumman’s manager, international business development for AEW and battle management command and control, noted that E-2C operators around the world were increasingly using the aircraft for non-traditional roles.
These include emergency air traffic control in the wake of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans last year and tackling the marine piracy problem in the Straits of Malacca, close to Singapore.
The current Hawkeye 2000 variant is due to be replaced by the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye from 2010. Changes to the aircraft will include the ability to add a fourth tactical operator, who would sit in the right-hand seat.
This could involve either the co-pilot being trained on mission systems or a systems operator from the rear of the aircraft being trained in basic piloting skills, said Beaulieu.
The company was also looking at extending the aircraft’s endurance by adding outer wing fuel tanks, although the resulting weight increase would mean this option would only be available for shore-based, rather than carrier-based, aircraft.
One air arm interested in such extended-range capabilities is the Indian navy, which is a potential customer for six Hawkeye 2000s. The Indian coastguard may “piggy-back” an order for a further two examples on the back of any navy order.
Trudelll said the company was still talking with both Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates over future export orders; reports late last year that UAE interest in the aircraft had ceased were mistaken. “We are still in active dialogue with the UAE,” he said.
The RSAF operates four E-2Cs: “We will anticipate that they will want to keep the aircraft flying for at least the next five years. How do we get from here to there because they have Group 0 aircraft that are rapidly facing obsolescence,” said John Beaulieu, Northrop’s US Navy foreign military sales new business manager at the show yesterday.
Beaulieu was meeting RSAF officials on the subject yesterday.
In a briefing, Tom Trudell, Northrop Grumman’s manager, international business development for AEW and battle management command and control, noted that E-2C operators around the world were increasingly using the aircraft for non-traditional roles.
These include emergency air traffic control in the wake of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans last year and tackling the marine piracy problem in the Straits of Malacca, close to Singapore.
The current Hawkeye 2000 variant is due to be replaced by the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye from 2010. Changes to the aircraft will include the ability to add a fourth tactical operator, who would sit in the right-hand seat.
This could involve either the co-pilot being trained on mission systems or a systems operator from the rear of the aircraft being trained in basic piloting skills, said Beaulieu.
The company was also looking at extending the aircraft’s endurance by adding outer wing fuel tanks, although the resulting weight increase would mean this option would only be available for shore-based, rather than carrier-based, aircraft.
One air arm interested in such extended-range capabilities is the Indian navy, which is a potential customer for six Hawkeye 2000s. The Indian coastguard may “piggy-back” an order for a further two examples on the back of any navy order.
Trudelll said the company was still talking with both Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates over future export orders; reports late last year that UAE interest in the aircraft had ceased were mistaken. “We are still in active dialogue with the UAE,” he said.
Source: Flight Daily News
