E-2 Hawkeye
IOC: 1964
Total Production: 300
Total Program's Cost: USD$60 billion
E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
Maiden Flight: Friday, August 03, 2007
IOC: 2011
Production: 75
Development Cost: USD$2.0 billion
Unitary Cost: USD$207 million
Total Cost: USD$17.4 billion
Also Known As
E-2D AHE
Origin
United States of America
Program Status:
Under Development
Contractor/s
Northrop Grumman
Family Members
E-2C Hawkeye
Hawkeye 2000
TE-2
Power plant:
T56-A-427 (2)
Sensors & Communications:
AN/APY-9
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Description:
The E-2C Hawkeye is the US Navy carrier-based tactical warning and control aircraft providing early warning and command and control functions to the carrier strike group. Additionally the E-2C carries out surface surveillance, strike and interception control, search and rescue guidance, and communications relay.
The key element of the carrier-based E-2C aircraft is its radar, the AN/APS-145, housed in a 24-foot rotating dome above the fuselage. The command and control equipment also plays a vital role. The aircraft combat debut occurred during the military campaign of Vietnam. The improved E-2C, current model, saw combat for the first time in the mid 1980s during strikes against terrorist bases in Libya.
The first model E-2 was deployed in 1964 replacing the E-1 early warning aircraft aboard the US Navy aircraft carriers. The E-2C, introduced in 1973, working together with AEGIS-equipped warships provide total air mass superiority over the American fleet. In addition to the US Navy, variants of the E-2C Hawkeye are also flown by the Egyptian Air Force, Japan Self Defense Air Force, Royal Singapore Air Force, Taiwan Air Force, Mexican Navy and the French Navy.
The E-2C was deployed successfully during the Gulf War in 1991 directing both air interdiction and combat air patrol missions over Iraq. It supported Operations Northern and Southern Watch over Iraq, and NATO operations over the former Republic of Yugoslavia, including Operation Deny Flight. Recently, in Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, Hawkeyes provided critical airborne battle management and command and control functions supporting numerous close air support and battlefield air interdiction missions.
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is the latest version of the Hawkeye early warning aircraft and will feature a new radar system. The new radar system associated with the Advanced Hawkeye will be a solid state, electronically steered UHF radar. The new Hawkeye will have theater missile defense capabilities. A new tactical cockpit will make possible the co-pilot to act as fourth mission system operator. A new IFF, communications suite, generators, and mission computer will be supplied to the Advanced Hawkeye.
A new cockpit will enable either pilot or copilot to act as the fourth crew member to operate the mission system. The new radar and the new tactical cockpit will be developed by Northrop-Grumman, while the Advanced Hawkeye would be available by the end of this decade. As many as 75 new-built Advanced Hawkeyes could be produced throughout the life of the program. The E-2D aircraft development program has been priced at $2 billion. First flight was expected by 2007 with deliveries to the fleet beginning in 2011.
In 2005 the US Navy estimated that the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program would cost about $15.5 billion for 75 planned aircraft including research and development costs. The E-2D will be a centerpiece of the future US Navy's FORCEnet warfighting architecture.
Specifications
Accommodation: Crew 5
Dimensions: Height 5.6 m, Length 17.5 m, Wingspan 28 m
Weights: Max Weight 23,850 kg (52,579 lb), Min Weight 18,090 kg (39,881 lb)
Performance: Ceiling 9,100 m (29,856 ft), Cruise Speed 138 mps (497 kph), Max Range 2,410 km (1,301 nm), Top Speed 154 mps (Mach 0.46)
Power: Power 10,000 shp
Other: Number of Engines 2
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United States of America / 75 / 