"Delta One" Sports Advanced Equipment
Aero-News has learned
the first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye development aircraft -- known as
Delta One, built for the US Navy by prime contractor Northrop
Grumman Corporation -- completed its first flight Friday afternoon.
Northrop Grumman Flight Test Pilot Tom Boutin and US Navy Flight
Test Pilot Lt. Drew Ballinger along with Northrop Grumman Flight
Test Lead Weapon Systems Operator Zyad Hajo lifted off shortly
before 11:00 am, and flew for approximately 1.3 hours.
"It is a big day for all of us, and we're very proud of this
latest milestone that helps bring the Navy one step closer to
expanding its arsenal of 21st century network-centric warfare and
battle management capabilities," said Tom Vice, vice president of
Airborne Early Warning and Battle Management Command and Control
Programs -- Navy, for Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector
following today's flight.
"The E-2D system gives the warfighter expanded battlespace
awareness, especially in the area of information operations," Vice
said. "The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye delivers battle management,
theater air and missile defense, and multiple sensor fusion
capabilities in an airborne system. These advances provide
warfighters with the necessary situational awareness to compress
the time between initial awareness and active engagement."
"The flight today marks the transition from design, development
and ground test to a tangible -- an aircraft's demonstration of its
capability for the future fleet mission," said Capt. Randy Mahr,
NAVAIR Hawkeye program manager. "From the drawing board to today's
flight, this has been a complete team effort with the Navy and
industry. The team was ready for this mission today. Flying today
was an important milestone -- we are one step further along the
road to get this needed capability to the warriors who launch in to
harm's way and play for keeps."
While similar in external appearance to the E-2C, the systems
onboard the E-2D are completely redesigned and the capabilities are
vastly expanded. At the heart of the aircraft is the new radar, the
APY-9, which can "see" smaller targets and more of them at a
greater range. The new rotodome contains an electronically scanned
array that provides critically important, continuous, 360-degree
scanning. This capability allows flight operators to focus the
radar on select areas of interest.
Inside the aircraft, Advanced Hawkeye operators will have new
radar system workstations, integrated satellite communications
capabilities and other cutting-edge tools to better manage the
battlespace. An additional new feature of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
is the state-of-the-art glass cockpit that replaces
prior-generation displays and avionics systems. In addition, an
advancement introduced in this version allows for one of the two
pilots to serve as an additional operator when necessary.
"In late 2001, Northrop Grumman was asked by the US Navy to
build a new Hawkeye. Northrop Grumman's goal was to deliver a
capability that would be a generational leap forward with new
technologies -- those that are more adaptable to changing threats
from today's and tomorrow's enemies, and that could protect our
nation and its allies well into the middle of the century. Today
signals another major milestone for Team Hawkeye," Vice added.