Northrop Grumman Wins Hawkeye Pact

Northrop Grumman won a $408 million pilot production contract to produce the next three E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning and battle management command and control (AEW/BMC2) aircraft for the U.S. Navy from 2007 to 2010.
The first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye development aircraft is slated to fly in late summer, with the second aircraft scheduled to fly later this year. The company said this contract is a follow-on to the $2 billion pact awarded in 2003.
"The E-2D gives the warfighter expanded battlespace awareness, especially in the area of information operations. The Advanced Hawkeye concentrates battle management, theater air missile defense and multiple sensor fusion capabilities in one aircraft," said Tom Vice, vice president of Airborne Early Warning and Battle Management Command and Control Programs-Navy, for Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector.
The external appearance of the E-2D is similar to the E-2C. Upgrades to the interior include the APY-9 radar, which can "see" more and smaller targets at a greater range, and the rotodome, which contains an electronically scanned array that provides continuous, 360-degree scanning. There are new radar system workstations, integrated satellite communications capabilities and a glass cockpit that replaces prior-generation Hawkeye displays and avionics.
The E-2D will be delivered in 2010. The Navy plans to procure at least 75 E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, which will be manufactured at Northrop Grumman's manufacturing center in St. Augustine, Fla.