As the final E-2C Hawkeye 2000 proceeds down the Northrop Grumman production line at St. Augustine, Florida, the company is preparing to fly the first example of its replacement–the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. The first of two system development and demonstration (SDD) aircraft was rolled out at the plant on April 30 and is being checked out on the ground prior to a first flight in late summer. It will serve primarily as an aircraft systems testbed. The second SDD aircraft, for mission system testing, will follow close behind.
Advanced Hawkeye represents a thorough overhaul of the tried and trusted E-2 design. As Jerry Spruill, NG Integrated System’s director and IPT leader of AEW International Programs, neatly summed it up, “It casts the same shadow on the ramp, but inside it’s totally different.” The Hawkeye has undergone a series of improvements throughout its 40-year history, the latest in-service iteration being the Hawkeye 2000. While the E-2D draws on this experience, the extent of the changes being implemented dictated a change in designation.
More In Aircraft
