"Delta Two" Advanced Hawkeye Now Flying In Test Program
The second E-2D Advanced Hawkeye development aircraft -- known
as Delta Two -- built for the US Navy by prime contractor Northrop
Grumman Corporation completed its first flight in just over two
hours from the company's St. Augustine, FL manufacturing and flight
test center November 29. A second flight followed on December
4.
"The first flight of our second development aircraft signals
another major program performance milestone for the E-2 program and
for Team Hawkeye. It's clear by our consistent team effort that
we're focused on delivering to the Navy its arsenal of 21st century
network-centric warfare and battle management capabilities when we
said we would," said Tom Vice, vice president of Airborne Early
Warning and Battle Management Command and Control Programs - Navy
for Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector.
"Team Hawkeye and our Navy program team are performing in
stellar fashion. We are right where we want to be in flight test.
The combination of commitment and communication from the integrated
Navy and industry team is the key to the success we have seen in
this program," said Capt. Randy Mahr, NAVAIR Hawkeye program
manager.
Piloting the test aircraft was Mike Holton, an 18-year Northrop
Grumman experimental test pilot veteran with 25 years of E-2 test
pilot experience. Co-piloting Delta Two was 21-year veteran and the
Airborne Early Warnings program's Chief Test Pilot Les Ryan, who
has tested E-2s for over 26 years. Joining them in the flight was
Wyle Weapon System Operator Ray Collazo, an experimental test
weapon system expert with 17 years of test experience. All three
are Naval Academy graduates and flew with Navy E-2 squadrons during
their military careers. Collazo and Holton flew together in VAW-112
and Ryan flew for VAW-114.
During the flight of the program's second system design and
development aircraft, the team conducted a series of air vehicle
tests to evaluate airplane flying qualities, engine response, and
cockpit instruments.
"Our go-forward plan is to fly another flight to check out
engine air start capability, and high angle of attack flying
qualities, and then we will complete the installation of the weapon
system. Once the weapon system is in, we will fly approximately two
hundred flights to evaluate the new radar. And just like Delta One,
which flew its first flight on August
3, Delta Two flew just like an E-2C," Holton said.
In July of this year, Northrop Grumman was also awarded a $408
million pilot production contract to build three aircraft, and the
keel was laid for the first production aircraft (AA3) on September
27. The original $2 billion SD&D contract was awarded on August
4, 2003.
Vice said the Navy plans to procure at least 75 E-2D Advanced
Hawkeyes, all which are manufactured at Northrop Grumman's
Manufacturing and Flight Test Center in St. Augustine. More than
one third of all current Hawkeyes are flown internationally by
Japan, Taiwan, Egypt, Singapore and France.