Improves E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Situational Awareness And More

The U.S. Navy’s fleet of Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft are one stop closer to significant operational improvements following the recent completion of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Delta System Software Configuration (DSSC)-6 Preliminary Design Review (PDR).

The new configuration reduces pilot workload while improving situational awareness and enhancing readiness. It provides reliability as well as architecture and cybersecurity upgrades.

The Technical Review Board who assessed the PDR said that the DSSC-6 team is “leading Naval Aviation” by taking advantage of digital engineering to transform the E-2D platform. The next step will be a detailed design phase scheduled for 2025.

Lt. Cmdr. Neil Whitesell, PMA-231 Level 2 Program Manager for DSSC-6 commented, “Successful completion of the E-2D DSSC-6 PDR is an affirmation of the ground-breaking work undertaken by the combined PMA-231 and NGC teams.

It represents a major programmatic milestone in the acquisition of technology key to maintaining carrier-based airborne command and control dominance well into the next decade.”

These upgrades will provide avionics infrastructure improvements to flight and mission systems. They increase crew effectiveness, address parts obsolescence, add improved computing and electronic storage, improve connectivity for command and control, and create a modular open systems environment for the insertion of future technology.

The first test flight of an E-2D with this configuration is scheduled for fiscal 2027 and operational capability in fiscal 2030.

FMI:  www.navair.navy.mil/