https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_E-2_Hawkeye
The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable
tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was
designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman
Aircraft Company for the United States Navy as a replacement for the earlier,
radial piston-engined E-1 Tracer, which was rapidly becoming obsolete. The
aircraft's performance has been upgraded with the E-2B, and E-2C versions, where
most of the changes were made to the radar and radio communications due to
advances in electronic integrated circuits and other electronics. The fourth
version of the Hawkeye is the E-2D, which first flew in 2007. The E-2 was the
first aircraft designed specifically for its role, as opposed to a modification
of an existing airframe, such as the Boeing E-3 Sentry. Variants of the Hawkeye
have been in continuous production since 1960, giving it the longest production
run of any carrier-based aircraft.
The E-2 also received the nickname "Super Fudd" because it replaced the E-1
Tracer "Willy Fudd". In recent decades, the E-2 has been commonly referred to as
the "Hummer" because of the distinctive sounds of its turboprop engines, quite
unlike that of turbojet and turbofan jet engines. In addition to U.S. Navy
service, smaller numbers of E-2s have been sold to the armed forces of Egypt,
France, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Singapore and Taiwan.
Role
Airborne early warning and control
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
Grumman
Northrop Grumman
First flight
21 October 1960
Introduction
January 1964
Status
In service
Primary users
United States Navy
(See operators below)
Produced
Unit cost
US$176 million (FY2012 flyaway cost)[1]
Variants
Grumman C-2 Greyhound
The E-2 is a high-wing airplane, with one turboprop engine on each wing and
retractable tricycle landing gear. As with most carrier-borne airplanes, the E-2
is equipped with a tail hook for recovery (landing), and the nose gear can
attach to a shuttle of the aircraft carrier's catapults for launch (takeoff). A
distinguishing feature of the Hawkeye is its 24-foot (7.3 m) diameter rotating
radar dome (rotodome) that is mounted above its fuselage and wings. This carries
the E-2's primary antennas for its long-range radar and IFF systems. No other
carrier-borne aircraft possesses one of these, and among land-based aircraft,
they are mostly seen atop the Boeing E-3 Sentry, a larger AWACS airplane
operated by the U.S. Air Force and NATO air forces in large numbers.
The E-2A entered U.S. Navy service on January 1964, and in April 1964 with
VAW-11 at NAS North Island. The first deployment was aboard USS Kitty Hawk
(CVA-63) during 1965.
Since entering combat during the Vietnam War, the E-2 has served the US Navy
around the world, acting as the electronic "eyes of the fleet". In August 1981,
a Hawkeye from VAW-124 "Bear Aces" directed two F-14 Tomcats from VF-41 "Black
Aces" in an intercept mission in the Gulf of Sidra that resulted in the downing
of two Libyan Sukhoi Su-22s. Hawkeyes from VAW-123 aboard the aircraft carrier
USS America (CV-66) directed a group of F-14 Tomcat fighters flying the Combat
Air Patrol during Operation El Dorado Canyon, the joint strike of two Carrier
Battle Groups in the Mediterranean Sea against Libyan terrorist targets during
1986. More recently, E-2Cs provided the command and control for both aerial
warfare and land-attack missions during the Persian Gulf War. Hawkeyes have
supported the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Customs Service, and American federal
and state police forces during anti-drug operations.
Specifications (E-2C/D)
General characteristics
Crew: Five: Pilot, Copilot, Radar Officer (RO), Combat Information Center
Officer (CICO), Aircraft Control Officer (ACO)
Length: 57 ft 8.75 in (17.60 m)
Wingspan: 80 ft 7 in (24.56 m)
Height: 18 ft 3.75 in (5.58 m)
Wing area: 700 ft2 (65 m2)
Aspect ratio: 9.15
Empty weight: 40,200 lb (18,090 kg)
Loaded weight: 43,068 lb (19,536 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 57,500 lb (26,083 kg)
turboprop, 5,100 shp (3,800 kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 350 knots (648 km/h or 402 MPH)
Cruise speed: 256 knots (474 km/h or 294 MPH)
Ferry range: 1,462 nmi (2,708 km or 1,682 mi)
Endurance: 6 hr
Service ceiling: 34,700 ft (10,576 m)
Wing loading: 72.7 lb/ft2 (355 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.19 hp/lb (0.32 kW/kg)
Avionics
AN/APS-145 Radar, OL-483/AP IFF interrogator
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