CNO Gary Roughead Accepts Aircraft On Behalf Of The Navy
The first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to enter the U.S. Navy
fleet was "welcomed home" last Thursday in a ceremony held at
Norfolk Naval Air Station in Virginia.
Handover Ceremony Navy Photo
As U.S. Navy leadership, Northrop Grumman officials and members
of the U.S. Navy's E-2 community looked on, Admiral Gary Roughead,
chief of naval operations, accepted delivery of the aircraft on
behalf of the U.S. Navy. "Today is a major naval aviation
milestone," Roughead said. "The E-2D is ready, relevant and
capable. It's going to be a game changer with information dominance
for the U.S. Navy. I am very pleased today to accept delivery of
the first E-2D to enter the U.S. Navy fleet."
As the U.S. Navy's carrier-based airborne early warning and
battle management command and control system, the E-2D Advanced
Hawkeye, with its newly developed AN/APY-9 radar, works in concert
with surface combatants equipped with the Aegis combat system to
detect, track and defeat cruise missile threats at extended range.
A new rotodome contains critically important, continuous,
360-degree scanning capability, while adding an electronically
scanned array. This system allows operators to focus the radar on
selected areas of interest.
Under a $408 million contract, awarded in July 2007, Northrop
Grumman is producing two additional pilot production aircraft which
are on track for delivery in 2010. Manufacturing of four Low-Rate
Initial Production aircraft also is progressing well.
E-2D Hawkeye File Photo
"The men and women of Northrop Grumman go to work each day with
no greater priority than supporting the warfighter," said Gary
Ervin, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman
Aerospace Systems. "The E-2D's systems represent a
multi-generational leap in technology. It is built to be relevant
for decades to come and will greatly facilitate how the Navy
manages the complex, modern battlespace and emerging threats of
today and tomorrow."
The first Navy squadron to operate the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is
Airborne Early Warning Squadron ONE TWO ZERO (VAW-120), based in
Norfolk. As the Navy's Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS), the
"Greyhawks" train pilots and naval flight officers to fly the
aircraft and operate the systems before assignment to an
operational flight squadron.